Whether it was to welcome Kelly Ripa back or simply in hopes of witnessing a train wreck, viewers handed “Live!” season-high ratings for the week ending April 29.
“Live! With Kelly and Michael” jumped 20 percent week over week and 24 percent year over year, reaching a 3.6 live-plus-same-day household rating, per Nielsen. In doing so, it actually beat “Dr. Phil,” the usual talk leader.
“Dr. Phil” had previously topped the category for 16 straight weeks, though its impressive run included one tie.
Ripa returned from a self-imposed hiatus on Tuesday, April 26. She previously took four days off after Strahan revealed that he was leaving the show for “Good Morning America.” Ripa did not appreciate being left in the dark on the news, which did not break on the program.
After some apologies, Ripa put sour grapes aside and returned to the ABC syndicated show. The two hosts appeared to make up — for the cameras, at least. A search is currently underway for a Strahan replacement/Ripa co-host.
Strahan’s final day on “Live!” is Friday. He’ll officially become a “GMA” co-anchor this September.