Ever since the news broke that Michael Strahan would be leaving "LIVE! with Kelly and Michael," speculation has been non-stop over who will co-host the morning talk show with Kelly Ripa. One name that has been thrown around again and again is Anderson Cooper, but the host of CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" insisted that he has not been approached for the gig.
Cooper stopped by Andy Cohen's late night talk show, "Watch What Happens Live" Thursday night, where a caller asked, "How do you feel about all the drama over at Live with Kelly and Michael, and would you be open to co-hosting?"
"Listen, I love Kelly and I think that show is... Kelly is the heart and soul of that show and it's going to go on and continue to be great and I wish Michael the best in his new endeavor," Cooper said.
Cooper then said he was "very happy at CNN" and that it would "be a dream to work with Kelly, but nobody's offering anything, so..."
Cohen's name as also been throw into the mix of possible replacements for Strahan, but he said that he was was way too busy with his other ventures to co-host along with his friend Ripa.
"I've kind of said everything I had to say about it," Cohen said. "I have 10 jobs!"
While Cooper said that he has not been approached for the job, Ripa reportedly looked to both Cooper and Cohen as possible replacements.
"When Regis [Philbin] left, the person Kelly wanted more than anyone else was Anderson Cooper, but he was busy launching his own talk show," a source said. "Now that he'd be free, she would love it to be him."
Earlier this week, Ripa returned from a week-long vacation after she was "blindsided" by the news that Strahan would be leaving the show for "Good Morning America."
"I really needed a couple of days to gather my thoughts. After 26 years with this company, I earned the right-and let's be honest, I know half of you called in sick to be here, so we get each other. In that time, I gained some perspective. I always speak from the heart. I didn't want to come out here and just, like, say something I might regret," she said during Tuesday's monologue.
"What transpired, though, over the course of a few days has been extraordinary in the sense that it started a much greater conversation about communication and consideration and, most importantly, respect in the workplace. Since we're being honest, I don't consider this just a workplace," she continued. "This is my second home. This is a place that I've devoted myself to, not just because of you, our loyal viewers, but because of all of the producers and the crew who work on this show."
Strahan's last day at "LIVE! with Kelly and Michael" will be on May 13.
