Michael Strahan Admits He ‘Freaked Out’ After Realizing He’s Been A TV Host Longer Than He Was An NFL Player

ABC is getting back into weeknight game shows this fall, and while Michael Strahan is no stranger to competition in primetime, he's hosting The $100,000 Pyramid instead of playing football. CinemaBlend recently caught up with Strahan ahead of The $100,000 Pyramid's Season 7 premiere and learned from Strahan that he was a little freaked out when he realized that he's been a TV host longer than he was an NFL player. 

After he explained the most important part of his job on The $100,000 Pyramid, I asked Michael Strahan if he was aware that he's officially spent more time as a TV host than he did during his 15-year Hall of Fame career with the New York Giants. The former defensive end and Super Bowl champion admitted the revelation was shocking and shared how he found out for the first time during a conversation with a former teammate: 

I'm actually freaked out by that because I didn't realize it until one of my teammates from the Super Bowl said to me. ‘Oh, yeah. My son just turned 17,’ and, and I remember when he was born, he goes, ‘That reminds me that you've been out of football longer than you were in football.’ I said, ‘Oh, I, I never realized it.’ But how fast time flies. I am grateful. I'm very grateful to have the career I did in football. I mean, fifteen years in New York with the Giants. Amazing. But also, I'm very grateful to have a career I've had since football that was all set up by what the game did for me. So, it's an honor to still be here and still be working and still be doing what I'm doing this many years later. And hopefully, there are many more to go.

In addition to his hosting duties on The $100,000 Pyramid, Michael Strahan has served as a full-time co-host on Good Morning America since 2016. Before that, he was a co-host with Kelly Ripa on Live with Kelly and Michael and even juggled both gigs at the same time briefly. Of course, Strahan has also been a longtime part of Fox NFL Sunday as a panelist on their crew, which still allows him to talk about his love of the game. 

For now, Michael Strahan seems thrilled to continue hosting The $100,000 Pyramid for Season 7 and watch alongside audiences as celebrities paired with contestants all compete for some big prize winnings. The current advertised lineup of celebrities for Season 7 includes Tiffany Haddish, Wayne Brady, Rosie O’Donnell, Lisa Ann Walter, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Jordin Sparks, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Josh Peck, Lauren Ash, and Joel Kim Booster. It's also said that more celebrities will pop up throughout the season, so those tuning in should keep an eye peeled.

As mentioned, The $100,000 Pyramid will be one part of ABC's Wednesday programming alongside two other iconic game shows. Celebrity Jeopardy! is making a comeback, and Celebrity Wheel Of Fortune is raising the stakes for Pat Sajak's upcoming retirement by making his co-host Vanna White a contestant. There are lots of exciting things coming from this block of programming and tons of fun for the entire family who wants to play along at home. 

Catch The $100,000 Pyramid on ABC on Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. ET. Anyone who misses an episode can, of course, catch up on the fun with a Hulu subscription and see Michael Strahan continue to flourish in his post-NFL career as a TV host. 

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.