How ABC Will Nab a New Co-Host for Kelly Ripa After Michael Strahan Leaves

Michael Strahan is down to his final hours as Kelly Ripa‘s co-host. Now get ready for the “Live” bake-off.

ABC is facing weeks of deliberation as it hunts for Ripa’s new partner on the morning chat show for the second time in five years. With Strahan exiting Friday to take a role on “Good Morning America,” Ripa will sit alongside a parade of guest hosts this summer, many of whom will be undergoing what amounts to an audition for a permanent spot.

The guest hosts for next week have already been announced: Jimmy Kimmel, “Empire’s” Jussie Smollet, Cedric the Entertainer, “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir and “Hawaii Five-O’s” Daniel Dae Kim.

Also Read: Michael Strahan's 'Live!' Exit: Look What's Happened to Ratings

Other celebrities whose names have frequently surfaced in the TV rumor mill include CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Deion Sanders (ABC has a deal with the former NFL star) and Ryan Seacrest, who now has some open spots on his schedule thanks to the end of “American Idol.”

ABC’s plan, one insider said, is to closely watch how each guest host does in terms of interacting with Kelly and the studio audience, and also parse the ratings. The Ripa relationship will be key; rumors abound of frosty ties between her and Strahan in recent months. Contenders who are deemed to have done well will then be subjected to focus-group testing as network bosses winnow the ranks.

Also Read: 'Live' Misfire Apology from Michael Strahan to Kelly Ripa

Fortunately for the network, it has plenty of experience with finding new co-hosts for “Live.” After Regis Philbin exited in November 2011, Ripa sat beside 60 guest hosts, including Strahan, Josh Groban, Carson Kressley, Jerry Seinfeld and Seth Meyers.

The nationally syndicated “Live” has been renewed at least through 2020.

7 Potential Michael Strahan Replacements Ranked, From Most to Least Liked (Photos)

Look at the happy partners! Oh, right -- this is an old photo.

When he waves goodbye for good on May 13, Michael Strahan will prove tough for "Live!" to replace -- at least from a likability standpoint. We looked at Positive Q Scores the industry uses to rate how highly people think of a celebrity.

Also Read: Michael Strahan’s ‘Live!’ Exit: Look What’s Happened to Ratings
ABC
Michael Strahan: Let's start with the departing host. The former NFL great boasts a very strong 21 Positive Q Score. That's a full four points better than anyone else on our list of possible replacements, and a hell of a lot higher than Kelly Ripa's uninspiring 13. No wonder he's always smiling.
Joel McHale: Mathematically, McHale is the best replacement on our list, as he has the most comparable-to-Strahan appeal among young adults -- particularly women 18-34, a needed demo for "Live!"

McHale's lackluster scores among the female 50-plus segment can be offset by Ripa's skew to the demo. A perfect match!

Positive Q Score: 17
Total Familiar: 21

Also Read: Maury Povich Thinks Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan Are Divas
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Anderson Cooper: Everyone loves Anderson Cooper, right? Well, not entirely.

About 14 percent of those polled by the Q Scores Company consider the CNN personality one of their favorites. And almost-everyone knows Cooper -- his 66 familiarity score is tops on our list.

Cooper's appeal skews older, which means those who like Ripa should also like Anderson.

Positive Q Score: 14
Total Familiar: 66

Also Read: Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan, ‘General Hospital’ Win Daytime Emmys
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Taye Diggs: Diggs not only has camera-ready looks, he's a genuinely charming fella. We doubt any women in the studio audience or watching along at home would complain about seeing Taye everyday. His Positive Q Score makes him a pretty safe choice.

Positive Q Score: 13
Total Familiar: 45

Also Read: Neil Patrick Harris and Other Possible Replacements for Michael Strahan on ‘Live’ (Video)
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Deion Sanders: The NFL already produced one big star for the series -- Sanders could be its next. (Insert your own joke about "Primetime" heading to daytime here.)

As a football player, "Neon" Deion is beloved by men -- not the show's key demo, but it sure worked for Strahan.

Sanders and Diggs are tied with the same Positive Q Score among those 18-plus. The two gentlemen actually have an eerily similar recognition level as well, separated by just one point. (Diggs tops Sanders in the order we ranked the two because of rounding differences.)

Also Read: Lewis Black Jokingly Auditions to Be Kelly Ripa’s New ‘Live’ Co-Host (Video)

Positive Q Score: 13
Total Familiar: 46
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Mario Lopez: The "Saved By the Bell" alum hosts seemingly every other show, so what's one more?

Lopez falls just below the Kelly Ripa Line, and his 12 Q Score is nowhere near Strahan's 21. But the actor behind A.C. Slater is quite well-known, and as we already mentioned, he's not exactly lacking experience.

Positive Q Score: 12
Total Familiar: 62

Also Read: The End of ‘Live With Kelly and Michael': A Timeline (Photos)
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Mark Consuelos: Potential nepotism at its finest!

Ripa's husband has co-hosted "Live!" many times, though his relatively low recognition and so-so-at-best Q Score could keep him out of the passenger seat permanently. Though, speaking of driving, wouldn't that be a convenient New York City carpool?

Another saving grace here could be Mark's strength among millennials, a trait he shares with McHale.

Positive Q Score: 11
Total Familiar: 20

Also Read: Michael Strahan Moves Up His Last Day on ‘Live’ With Kelly Ripa
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Regis Philbin: Thinking Reg might come back to his former show? Not so fast. Philbin's Positive Q Score among millennials is a mere 5. Have they forgotten the glory days of Regis and Kathie Lee?

Positive Q Score: 9
Total Familiar: 61

Also Read: ABC Execs Apologize to Kelly Ripa Over Handling of Michael Strahan Announcement
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Who should be Kelly Ripa’s new “Live!” co-host? Let’s look at the Positive Q Scores the industry uses to measure likeability

Look at the happy partners! Oh, right -- this is an old photo.

When he waves goodbye for good on May 13, Michael Strahan will prove tough for "Live!" to replace -- at least from a likability standpoint. We looked at Positive Q Scores the industry uses to rate how highly people think of a celebrity.

Also Read: Michael Strahan’s ‘Live!’ Exit: Look What’s Happened to Ratings

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7 Potential Michael Strahan Replacements Ranked, From Most to Least Liked (Photos)

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