Jeff Gordon Rumored To Host ‘Live!’ With Kelly Ripa, Former NASCAR Driver To Fill Michael Strahan’s Shoes? [Rumors]
Jeff Gordon is synonymous with NASCAR. He was a driver for several years, winning races all around the country. He retired but became a television personality in the racing world, which has opened up doors for other things. Gordon has been a guest co-host on Live! With Kelly and Michael nine times, filling in for Strahan when he was on vacation or had another commitment. He has not been back around since Kelly Ripa and Strahan had a falling out, but that all could change this fall.
With the fall television season approaching, Jeff Gordon may be more of a presence on morning television. According to Radar Online, Jeff Gordon could become the permanent co-host to sit beside Kelly Ripa. While nothing has been confirmed because the network won’t give a straight answer, they have acknowledged “rumors” are out there. He is reportedly on the short list to replace Michael Strahan. This is becoming a pressing issue because the official exit wasn’t supposed to happen until this fall, but after Ripa got wind Strahan was leaving, there was a huge falling out between the two. Gordon has sat in the co-host chair before and resonated well with viewers. His chemistry with Ripa is decent, which may be enough to score him the gig.
Besides Jeff Gordon, rumors have been circulating about Andy Cohen or Anderson Cooper possibly sitting next to Kelly Ripa on Live! this fall. Both of these men have co-hosted several times and are close friends with Ripa and her husband, Mark Consuelos. Cohen has repeatedly denied wanting the job because his focus is on his own late-night talk show and his heavy involvement with the Bravo network. Cooper may be more competition for Gordon, especially since he is an incredibly well-known television personality already. One thing is clear among the rumors, it will likely be a man who will be sitting beside Ripa permanently.
Since the dramatic exit of Michael Strahan, Jeff Gordon has not commented about his desire to do morning television. He was well received when he sat next to Kelly Ripa on the nine occasions, but it hasn’t been something he has openly desired to do. With a family of his own now and NASCAR behind him permanently, Gordon could easily sign up for the weekday gig and be able to spend ample time as a family man. Critics have been harsh regarding his rumored running for the spot on Live!, but that hasn’t seemed to phase the fans. There was plenty of criticism and rude remarks when he was racing, nothing is going to phase Gordon when it comes to a morning television gig.
It is unclear when a decision will be made about who will fill Michael Strahan’s shoes opposite Kelly Ripa this fall, but rumors indicate Jeff Gordon is on the very short and exclusive list. If this is indeed the case, he will likely be filling in over the next few weeks to see how the audience and social media responds to what he has to offer. Andy Cohen has done it a few times since Strahan’s exit along with Anderson Cooper and Jussie Smollet. The network doesn’t have a lot of time to vet a long list of competitors who are vying for the job. With the rumors circulating now, it appears that Gordon may be the most available for what the show would require.
The upcoming weeks will be incredibly telling about whether or not Jeff Gordon is actually considering being the new co-host on Live! What the network would offer him would allow him to likely continue his commentary on the NASCAR circuit and also allow him to be home with his family. Jeff Gordon is capable of the job, but is he the one the network wants?
[Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images]
