Reasons for Michael Strahan’s GMA Absence: His Ex-Wife and Daughter

Good Morning America viewers felt a significant void this week when their beloved Michael Strahan was absent from the show.

The lively host hasn’t been seen alongside Robert Roberts and George Stephanopolous for several days, but now the reason is clear.

After enjoying a fun-filled summer with his daughters, Isabella and Sophia, which included an extended vacation in the Bahamas, it’s time for them to head back to college.

Isabella shared on Instagram that she had returned to USC, posting a photo with her mom, Jean Muggli.

Sophia is also set to return to Duke University with her fall semester starting on August 26.

It’s unclear if Michael and Jean came together for both send-offs or if Michael took Sophia while Jean accompanied Isabella.

This moment marks a significant milestone for the family, as the past nine months have been tumultuous following Isabella’s brain tumor diagnosis in October 2023.

She has since completed her treatment and made a recovery, but the ordeal has been a rollercoaster for the twins, their mom, and their dad.

Michael and Jean have been divorced since a year after welcoming their daughters. Sadly, they engaged in a bitter custody battle for a long time.

Michael, who also has two grown children with his first ex-wife, Wanda Hutchins, spoke about marriage in a 2023 interview on In Depth with Graham Bensinger.

“Would I ever get married again,” he pondered. “Never say never. I’m not so bitter to say, ‘Oh, I got divorced and stay away from marriage.’ I’m not that guy.”

Michael was married to Jean from 1999 to 2006. “My second marriage was definitely not the greatest experience,” he confessed. “But I did learn a lot from that and ended up with two incredible teenagers.”

He unexpectedly added, “I think marriage is great, and I know I have had a few failures. But you learn from your failures.”

Michael has remained very close to Wanda, acknowledging that it was simply the wrong time for their union.

“My first marriage with Wanda, we were just young. She’s one of my best friends to this day. I love her to death. I have two great kids,” he said.

“It was a great experience where we both realized we were young, out of our league, and didn’t know how to act. We were kids trying to play adults.

“But now that we came to that understanding together, we have grown together.”

Source: Getty Images, Instagram,