Former Live! co-host Michael Strahan certainly went out with a bang when he blindsided Kelly Ripa with his GMA announcement — she temporarily boycotted, he continued awkwardly hosting in her absence. It was a bit of a hot mess. But all’s well that ends well, and the two seemed to be friendly enough by Strahan’s last day. Now Ripa is parading a string of potential co-hosts through his chair. Here’s how we rank them so far.
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No. 26: David Muir
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube ABC News anchor David Muir got decent Nielsen ratings (2.9), but his co-hosting chemistry was a bit dull.
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No. 25: Alec Baldwin
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube Ripa and Baldwin’s risqué banter about each other’s bodies in old photos was off-putting, no?
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No. 24: Jim Parsons
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube Listen, we love Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons, but he honestly just seemed awkward on Live!
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No. 23: John Leguizamo
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube John Leguizamo is a fantastic actor and funny, to boot, but Live! doesn’t seem like the right fit for him.
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No. 22: Andy Cohen
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube Ripa and Cohen have undeniable co-hosting chemistry, but they’re almost too much together.
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No. 21: Cedric the Entertainer
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube Cedric the Entertainer filled in on the Fourth of July and did a perfectly OK job of it, but there were no fireworks.
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No. 20: Tony Goldwyn
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube Scandal‘s Tony Goldwyn is always a delight! Still, he’s almost too laid-back for a morning talk show.
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No. 19: Joel McHale
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube Joel McHale is hilarious — let’s get that right out in the open. But his brand of sarcasm doesn’t feel right for Live!
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No. 18: Daniel Dae Kim
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly (full episodes)/YouTube Who wouldn’t want to watch Daniel Dae Kim every day? The actor (and Ripa’s close friend) is, in a word, lovely.
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No. 17: Anderson Cooper
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube Ripa and Anderson Cooper’s natural rapport was nice, but he seems much more in his element on CNN.
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No. 16: Jussie Smollett
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube We adore Jussie Smollett, but he made an off-color comment about Serbia that had some fans seeing red.
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No. 15: Dwyane Wade
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube D-Wade! Big things are in the works for the baller this year, and his positive energy was practically palpable.
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No. 14: Jimmy Kimmel
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube Kimmel earned the highest Nielsen ratings (so far), which makes sense — he’s Jimmy Kimmel, ya know?
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No. 13: Ryan Seacrest
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube Ripa and Seacrest both are so perpetually… well, peppy that they just kind of make sense together.
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No. 12: Keegan-Michael Key
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube Keegan-Michael Key and Kelly Ripa? Yes, please! He talks a mile a minute, but it’s all funny, so it’s all good.
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No. 11: Neil Patrick Harris
Image Credit: Live With Kelly 2016/YouTube Who doesn’t love NPH? And we almost had our chance: He reportedly was offered the job before Michael Strahan.
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No. 10: Josh Groban
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube Singer Josh Groban is just so darn likable, isn’t he? Plus, he and Ripa are so comfortable around each other.
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No. 9: Jerry O’Connell
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube Jerry O’Connell brought the perfect blend of laid-back yet endearing jittery to his co-hosting duties.
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No. 8: Morris Chestnut
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube We have no delusions that Morris Chestnut will leave Rosewood for daytime TV, but he was pretty perfect with Ripa.
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No. 7: Mark Consuelos
Image Credit: Dexter Wells/YouTube I don’t care who you are — Ripa and hubby Mark Consuelos were adorable! Still, being married co-hosts could get tricky.
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No. 6: Fred Savage
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube Whether it’s Wonder Years nostalgia or the fact that Fred Savage is so charming, fans loved his guest stint.
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No. 5: D.L. Hughley
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly (full episodes)/YouTube D.L. Hughley interjected such humor and intelligence to his co-hosting role. We want more!
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No. 4: Common
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube It’s Common, y’all — he’s amazing. Plus, his co-hosting gig proved that he and Ripa are a natural fit.
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No. 3: Guillermo Díaz
Image Credit: LIVE with Kelly/YouTube Scandal‘s Guillermo Díaz is impossible not to like — his upbeat attitude on the show was infectious.
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No. 2: Kevin Hart
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube Live! with Kelly and Kevin? We all need this in our lives, if Hart’s hilarious guest co-hosting chops are any indication.
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No. 1: Carrie Ann Inaba
Image Credit: Live! with Kelly and Michael Tv Show/YouTube Of all of Ripa’s co-hosts, none seemed more authentic than Carrie Ann Inaba. These two are daytime gold together.
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