Viewers were surprised when GMA3: Strahan, Sara & Keke was cancelled by ABC, especially since the show’s ratings were relatively consistent. With this, some began to speculate that co-host Keke Palmer’s recent activism was a potential cause for the cancellation. However, Palmer recently shot down that notion, citing the nature of her contract as one of the reasons for the cancellation. Now, Palmer is further explaining the circumstances surrounding the end of her Good Morning America show.
Keke Palmer recently explained that when the COVID-19 pandemic began, she had a feeling that, if the show should continue, it likely wouldn’t return for some time. And with GMA3 being a show that mostly focused on entertainment news, Palmer began to assume that it wouldn’t be coming back:
Here's the thing, when the pandemic hit, that became all that was on our minds — the pandemic, corona, understanding COVID. So I kind of knew that if our show did come back, it would have to be much, much, much later. Because our show is really about an audience. When you think about it, that's what we do. We do a little bit of news, but it's entertainment news. It's really fun conversations and lightheartedness. So it's a different time now, and some of the conversation has changed, and I think it just kind of pushed SSK out. So I expected it.
Keke Palmer has been open when it comes to discussing certain topics, and this was certainly the case when she spoke about Strahan, Sara & Keke on the After Show of Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live. While her comments do give us a better idea of why ABC opted to cancel the show, the reason isn’t all that unexpected.
When the global health crisis began, GMA 3: Strahan, Sara & Keke was replaced with a daily hour-long program called Pandemic: What You Need To Know. The program featured interview and feature segments from medical experts regarding COVID-19. The show would later be retitled GMA 3: What You Need To Know so that it could encompass more news. And last month, reports confirmed that SSK would not be returning to the network.
Strahan, Sara & Keke did, however, still find an audience after ending its broadcast run. Palmer and co-hosts Michael Strahan and Sara Haines have since done virtual check-ins through the show’s YouTube channel. As of right now, the channel has not released any new videos in over a month.
Even though the reasoning behind the program’s demise seemed clear, it’s still good to see Keke Palmer setting the record straight. Celebrity activism has been a hot topic for a while, even more so after the death of George Floyd. So it’s understandable that Palmer would want to make sure audiences don’t get the wrong impression about what caused the show’s end.
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