Michael Strahan Joins Kelly Ripa On "Live! With Kelly"

Former New York Giants' defensive end Michael Strahan is officially the new host of "Live! With Kelly," joining current host Kelly Ripa. 

Strahan replaces Regis Philbin, the former host who left the show last November. Regis had hosted the show for 28 years, and Ripa joined the program in 2008. 

Srahan has appeared on the program before, the first time shortly after he and the Giants had won the Super Bowl. During the program, Yahoo! News writes, Regis asked Strahan what he planned to do when he retired. Strahan replied by saying Philbin's job looked pretty good.

"I was joking," Strahan said on Tuesday, "and I'm glad the joke came true."

Strahan is currently a host on "FOX NFL Sunday," lending his football experience and expertise to provide analysis for fans. Luckily, Strahan is expected to continue working on "FOX NFL Sunday" for the foreseeable future. The former Giants star has also hosted the sports reality show, Pros vs. Joes, where average people face off against ex-professional athletes.  Strahan is one of the most feared and accomplished defensive players in NFL history, setting the all-time record for most sacks in a season. It's been a poorly kept secret over the past few weeks that Strahan was going to take over as co-host of the talk show. 

On Good Morning America, Ripa hinted at a big announcement for the program. Other candidates that were rumored for the job were 'SNL's' Seth Meyers, Josh Groban, and 'How I Met Your Mother' star, Neil Patrick Harris.

"I adore you and I am so happy to be here and be a part of this," Strahan, 40, said. "You know how they say it's a dream come true? I truly can't say that because I didn't even know I could dream this."