Kelly Ripa's Co-Hosts for Next Week Revealed

Move over Michael Strahan: Kelly Ripa will co-host the newly renamed “Live! With Kelly” next week with “Empire” star Jussie Smollett, Cedric the Entertainer, David Muir and Daniel Dae Kim.

They’ll appear in just that order Tuesday through Friday. As previously reported, her co-host on Monday — Ripa’s very first show without Strahan — is Jimmy Kimmel.

Strahan officially ended his four-year run on “Live!” this morning. The former NFL great will become a “Good Morning America” co-anchor beginning in the fall. The ex-defensive end and his ABC bosses kept Kelly in the dark over their decision, which caused a giant rift between the two on-air partners and even led to a short-lived Ripa boycott.

Now it’s time to find Ripa another new co-host, beginning with the below bunch, we suppose.

Also Read: Michael Strahan on Last 'Live' With Kelly Ripa: 'I'm Still in the Family'

Here’s the full lineup of co-hosts and guests for next week, in ABC’s own words:

Monday, May 16: Late night host Jimmy Kimmel kicks off the week as Kelly’s first co-host. Kelly and Jimmy sit down with Chef Gordon Ramsay and “Quantico” star Priyanka Chopra. Plus, a performance by indie rock band American Authors.

Tuesday, May 17: “Empire” star Jussie Smollett is Kelly’s co-host this morning. Andy Samberg chats about the film “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,” and Michael Weatherly discusses the series “NCIS.”

Also Read: Kelly Ripa Wants Anderson Cooper for 'Live,' ABC Says Not So Fast

Wednesday, May 18: Comedian Cedric the Entertainer joins Kelly as co-host today. Zac Efron talks about the film “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising,” and Josh Gad previews “The Angry Birds Movie.”

Thursday, May 19: Kelly’s co-host this morning is “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir. Julianne Moore speaks about the film “Maggie’s Plan,” and “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” star Rose Byrne visits.

Friday, May 20: Rounding out the week as co-host is “Hawaii Five-0” star Daniel Dae Kim. Kelly and Daniel interview Blake Shelton, who also performs for the “Live” audience, and Science Bob brings some fun experiments to the studio.

Also Read: Kelly Ripa Says 'Live!' Staff Was Blindsided by Michael Strahan's Exit, Too

“Live with Kelly” is distributed in national syndication by Disney|ABC Home Entertainment and TV Distribution. The show is produced by WABC-TV in New York and executive produced by Michael Gelman.

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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