Michael Strahan was missing from GMA on July 1 leaving wiggle room for another host to slide in to take on his role.
Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos were joined by Rebecca Jarvis, and later in the show, Will Reeve and Sam Champion too.
The latter received a surprisingly on-air promotion when Robin handed over the reins as “sports correspondent,” to guide them through the highlights of Wimbledon.
Michael would have relished the role as a former NFL athlete, but Robin was quick to pass the baton to Sam.
“Oh,” he said, looking surprised after Robin introduced him. “That’s like a promotion,” he quipped before confessing the sports news would be coming from “a die hard tennis fan from the last 20 minutes.”
His response was met with laughter from the hosts who recognized Sam was more comfortable delivering the weather forecast than weighing in on sport.
Relocation
The show’s shapeup comes ahead of the holiday weekend when the hosts are likely to be indulging in time away with their families and loved ones.
They recently relocated to new studios in New York and showed off their brand new look on set.
They bid farewell to iconic Times Square to welcome in a new home in Hudson Square, where the rest of the ABC family have also moved.
GMA, meanwhile, first started broadcasting from Times Square in 1999, with the studio’s very first guest being Serena Williams on the heels of her first US Open win.
GMA family
The entire GMA team are like family and have close relationships on screen and off.
They’ve worked together for years, but Michael recently touched on retirement, admitting: “I like company, I like vacations. I’m at the point in life when I just want to enjoy it. I don’t want to work forever, I want to enjoy life at some point.”
In 2021, he signed a multi-year deal with ABC, which is reportedly up this year.
Fans wonder if this means he’ll call time on hosting the morning show.
Michael’s future
However, he also confessed on-air last month that he didn’t have any plans to go anywhere.
After a serious conversation with ESPN’s Jay Harris, during which the sports anchor revealed he’s battling prostate cancer, Michael thanked him for taking the time to speak about such a personal matter.
Jay then admitted he prefers being on “that side,” referring to being in the interview seat.
Michael quickly leapt to defend his position and said: “You’re not taking my spot, you gotta job,” before adding: “You can’t have mine, I’m here to stay.”
While the conversation had a jokey tone, Jay knew he’d hit a nerve and at the end of the chat, he shook Michael’s hand and quipped: “If you call in sick one day, let me know,” to which Michael retorted: “I will….not…. I’m here to keep my job.”
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