Michael Strahan Feared He Couldn’t ‘Raise His Voice’ As A Black Man At ABC

During a recent town hall on racism with former Disney CEO Bob Iger for ABC employees, Good Morning America host Michael Strahan shared his experiences with racism at the company. While Strahan did not mention any specifics, many believe he was referring to his time as co-host of Live with Kelly and Michael—now titled Live with Kelly and Ryan after his departure.

According to Page Six, Strahan told his fellow ABC employees that he felt he couldn’t “speak up and raise his voice” as a Black man behind the scenes. "Michael said that there were some very tense situations with executives who got argumentative and loud on the show, and he was very aware he couldn't speak up or raise his voice as he was worried he would be seen as threatening," a source told Page Six.

Strahan left Live back in 2016 and experienced a falling out with Kelly Ripa as a result. In an interview with the New York Times in January of this year, Strahan spoke about his departure from the morning talk show. The former NFL star said he witnessed "selfish" behavior behind the scenes and felt he was brought on to be Ripa's sidekick rather than a true partner and co-host.

Despite rumors about Strahan and Ripa's falling out, Strahan has refrained from criticizing Ripa publicly. “I don’t hate her. I do respect her for what she can do at her job," Strahan told the Times. "I cannot say enough about how good she is at her job.”

Following his exit from Live, Strahan became co-anchor of Good Morning America—another ABC property—on a full-time basis.

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