Robin Roberts apologized to her GMA co-host, Michael Strahan, on Thursday after she plugged a TV show that rivals one of his own. Robin was discussing her interview with NFL legend Randy Moss, who will be back on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown on September 7, following a temporary leave of absence in 2024, after he was diagnosed with bile duct cancer. After the interview aired, Robin told audiences about Randy's ESPN return but stopped to apologize to Michael, who stars on FOX NFL Sunday, before bursting into laughter alongside George Stephanopoulos.
"You can see Randy, he's back full-time on ESPN's," she said, before turning to Michael and quipping: "Sorry about this, Sunday NFL Countdown, Sunday at 10 am Eastern." While Robin and George tried to control their amusement, Michael made it clear he has nothing against Randy and his fellow hosts, Tedy Bruschi, Randy Moss, Rex Ryan, Alex Smith, and Mike Greenberg, even if they are on a rival network.
"Hey, I love all those guys," he stated, before Robin joked: "But you're not watching the other guys." Michael continued: "I'm happy Randy's back. Randy worked with me at Fox. He's an incredible player, but now people get to see what an incredible man he is off the field. A lot of guys are really a lot different to what you think they are. He's the real deal."
Michael has appeared on FOX NFL Sunday since 2008 alongside the likes of Terry Bradshaw, Michael Vick, Jimmy Johnson, and, more recently, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. While it has been confirmed that he will return to the line-up for the 2025 season, the former New York Giants star may soon decide to take a step back after admitting he doesn't "want to work forever, I want to enjoy life at some point."
He added on In Depth with Graham Bensinger: "I retired when I was 36, from football. My twins were three. There I was talking about 'work hard. Get out there and go all out.' But they never saw any of that. They never saw me play football." In 2024, Michael admitted that he would gradually step away from his TV roles before retiring completely.
"I won't go cold turkey on everything, but I see myself slowly dropping different things until eventually, you'll just find me on the golf course," he told Forbes. "Time is the one thing that once it's gone, you can never get it back. I'm very conscious of that, being a dad. That's what has led me to think more about the end of my career."
He added: "That's what has led me to think more about the end of my career – I don't want to be someone who's on TV at 80 years old. It's an absolute pleasure and privilege to be able to have that option. But I can get more of everything in life except for time."