Michael Strahan Returns to ‘GMA’ After COVID-19 Absence

Michael Strahan is back at Good Morning America! The NFL alum returned to the ABC News show on Monday after missing three weeks when he was diagnosed with the coronavirus. It appears that Strahan is fully recovered and cleared to go back into work after his GMA co-hosts George Stephanopoulos and Amy Robach gave him a warm welcome at the top of the show.

Strahan kicked off the 7:00 hour Monday morning welcoming guests into the show when Stephanopoulos interrupted him to acknowledge his return — simultaneously scaring Strahan “to death” that he missed some important broadcast information. “Good morning, America. Thank you for joining us on this Monday morning. We have two big stories—” Strahan began, until Stephanopoulos interrupted, “Hold on for a second, Michael, welcome back!” Robach also welcomed back Strahan, who thanked them and admitted he was caught off guard by the interruption.

“George, I’ll be honest with you. You just scared me to death,” Strahan said, laughing. “I’m like, ‘Did I mess up?!’ Oh, man! Thank you for the welcome back. Glad that’s over.” Stephanopoulos and Robach also started laughing and soon all three co-anchors were cracking up at the large semicircle desk.

Strahan was absent from GMA and NFL on Fox starting in late January when TMZ reported that he had been exposed to COVID-19. He immediately began taking precautions and went into quarantine. In a video he sent into GMA a few days into his quarantine, he thanked fans who reached out and sent well wishes. “I just wanted to thank everybody out there. You guys don’t know how much it means to me to know how many people care about me and my health,” the 49-year-old said. “I really, really am thankful and grateful for every one of you.”

He said he was feeling better and trying to rest, hydrate and get his strength back so he could get back to GMA ASAP. “I miss you guys. I miss work. For my own sanity, I gotta get out of this house,” he said. “But with all the protocols, you gotta follow them, so I have been quarantining and just trying to do everything that I can to get healthy, so I can get back.”

He stressed the importance of following COVID-19 precautions and protocols, like wearing a mask, using disinfectant wipes and washing your hands. “It is more than just about you,” Strahan said. “It’s about the people you’re around and the fellow human being. Protect yourself and, by doing that, you’re gonna protect others.”