A few weeks ago, Michael Strahan announced that he was leaving Live with Kelly and Michael and his co-host took a few days off. The media went crazy with their theories why she did it, and now she broke her silence about it to
People. She said, “I think what people need to understand about the entire situation is that I didn’t just not show up.” Then she added, “I said, in the room, ‘I am going to take the day off.’ I needed to actually sit and gather information. I needed to make sure I said the appropriate things on TV and didn’t just come out and say whatever.”
Six days later, she was ready to return to work, and she spoke her mind then.
How does she feel about Strahan’s new job? She said, “I get it. We’re excited for Michael. He wanted that job, and it’s great for him. I think it is a perfect match, I really do.” But there is a but, “However, what nobody considered is there’s a whole other group of people that it really impacts, because we have to now find another great person.” You see Live is a family, and she says her co-workers were looking at her to make sure that they were going all be OK and still have a job.
When Kathie Lee Gifford left the show, it took them a while to find Kelly Ripa. Then when Regis Philbin left, it also took them a while to find Michael Strahan. Will their viewers wait for them to find another co-host and will they take them quickly? To make matters worse, there are rumors that ABC wants to add a third hour for Good Morning America, so what does that mean for the future for Live with Kelly and Who? Plus, there is more competition these days and what if the viewers find something else to watch during the transition period? There’s a lot riding on the show because of his decision, so you can understand why she reacted the way that she did. I didn’t until this interview and now I get it.
This wasn’t the only point that I liked that she brought up in this interview, she also took on her big bosses. She said, “I think that all people are deserving of fair treatment in the work place. People deserve respect People should be treated equally and with dignity.” Then she elaborated, “I think that requires a certain amount of empathy on a level. When you’re dealing with big business, it’s easy to forget that you’re dealing with people and that people have feelings. It’s easy to just look at it like a business unit, a unit, a unit.” Corporations quickly forget its employees who keep them functioning and they need to remember that. She took a big stand against the cold corporate world, and for that I will always respect her. Hopefully, other businesses heard her stance because too many forget that they need to treat their employees better. They make the company work, not the people who sit in boardrooms all day.
