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Michael Strahan may be leaving “Live,” but he’s helping goose the show’s Nielsen ratings on his way out.

“Live! With Kelly and Michael” was the only one out of 15 syndicated talk shows to grow two weeks ago, numbers that just came out on Tuesday. The talker was up 3 percent week over week at the time, hitting a 3.0 in Nielsen’s Live + Same Day national rating.

The unusual late-April increase can be pegged to the ex-NFL star announcing his upcoming exodus for “Good Morning America,” something Strahan revealed on April 19. After that, “Live!” had three solid days of added intrigue over the measured period.

Kelly Ripa had excused herself from the program those three days — as well as the following Monday — pushing the mounting drama to epic proportions.

Also Read: How Michael Strahan Lifted TV Ratings for 'Live' With Kelly Ripa

Ripa eventually returned on Tuesday, April 26.

The show’s national ratings for that week will come out next Tuesday. And they’re expected to be substantially higher, based on sharp increases in the overnights for Ripa’s return to the program, which readers can check out here. Treat yourself to another interesting “Live!” ratings take here, which spells out how much Strahan has helped the program over his four-year tenure.

On Sunday, May 1, Strahan and Ripa were named “Outstanding Hosts in an Entertainment Talk Show” at the 43rd Daytime Emmy Awards. A bit awkward, sure, though the two had made up (for the cameras, at least) by then.

The End of 'Live With Kelly and Michael': A Timeline (Photos)

There's been a lot of drama at ABC over the departure of Michael Strahan from "Live with Kelly and Michael" and the search for a replacement. Kelly Ripa has been part of the network for nearly three decades.

Also Read: The Evolution of Michael Strahan, From NFL Star to Morning TV Host (Photos)
ABC
Kelly Ripa has been a part of the ABC morning talk show block for 15 years, replacing Kathie Lee Gifford as Regis Philbin's co-host on "Live!" in February 2001.
ABC
After Philbin ended his 28-year run on the show, former NFL star Michael Strahan was picked to join Ripa on "Live!" in September 2012.
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In their nearly four-year run together, Michael & Kelly raised the show's ratings by 8 percent compared to the last four seasons of "Live With Regis and Kelly."
ABC
On April 19, it was revealed without Ripa's prior knowledge that Strahan would leave "Live!" this summer to join "Good Morning America" as co-anchor. Strahan had been appearing on "GMA" twice a week since 2014.
ABC
A source told TheWrap there had been friction between Ripa and the rest of the "Live!" team. "Kelly has been very moody and emotional the past couple of years and Strahan was dreading going to work," the source said.
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Strahan formally announced his departure from "Live!" on air April 20, but Ripa did not host the episode. A spokesperson for the show did not elaborate on the reasons for Ripa's no-show.
ABC
Over the weekend, Ripa reportedly spoke with Strahan and ABC president Ben Sherwood, who apologized for not telling Ripa about the "GMA" move sooner.
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On April 26, Ripa returned to "Live!" for the first time since Strahan's announcement and thanked the show's fans for their support. "Our national nightmare is over," she joked.
ABC
ABC also announced that Strahan's final "Live!" episode would be moved up from September to May to take advantage of "sweeps" week.
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On May 13, Strahan said farewell to "Live!" "I am happy. I am not six feet under," he said. "Six feet, five inches above the ground. So I'm happy. It's another day."

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Michael Strahan’s transition from Kelly Ripa’s co-host to “Good Morning America” co-anchor has been sudden and turbulent

There's been a lot of drama at ABC over the departure of Michael Strahan from "Live with Kelly and Michael" and the search for a replacement. Kelly Ripa has been part of the network for nearly three decades.

Also Read: The Evolution of Michael Strahan, From NFL Star to Morning TV Host (Photos)

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