'Live! With Kelly's New Co-Host Should Be A Woman

We need to talk about who may replace Michael Strahan on Live! With Kelly. And what I would like to talk about this time is not the number of well-qualified men who have been sitting in beside Kelly Ripa as they run through the list of who should replace Strahan. Instead, what I would like to talk about is why in the world it's often only men whom are rumored to take over for Michael Strahan. Why aren’t we, instead, talking about a woman sitting beside Kelly Ripa in that illustrious co-host spot, first made famous by Regis Philbin and Kathy Lee Gifford? After all, replacing a typically male role with a female co-host could send a powerful message about female-led shows in today’s world.

Thankfully, as the potential cohosts take their seat beside Ripa before the show’s summer hiatus, a number of female candidates' names are starting to spring up as potential replacements for Strahan's role. In other words: US Weekly reports that the show may be considering female co-hosts to sit alongside Ripa. And I have to say, I’m all for that. Not only would it totally turn the whole typical one male cohost and one female cohost pairing on its head, but it would also give the show a chance to really reinvent itself — and oftentimes, when it comes to daytime TV, those opportunities don't come around too often.

Even Sherri Shepherd, who hosted The View from 2007 to 2014, spoke with TMZ exclusively about the topic and said that she thinks America is ready to see a woman sitting beside Kelly Ripa. “How about a black woman?” Shepherd quipped. While Shepherd’s comment may have been passing one (or maybe a potential plug), the point she is making is a valid one.

So I’m all for Live! looking at female cohosts to take over for Strahan. It's time for a real change in daytime television, let's make it a good one.