How Michael Strahan's Messy Divorce Negatively Affected His Once-Impressive Net Worth

Highlights

• Michael Strahan earned $76 million from his football career and now makes $17 million per year on television, but his net worth today isn't as high as it should be.
• Building on his NFL success, Strahan became a major TV personality. He began by providing football commentary for Fox before becoming a co-anchor on Good Morning America .
• The same skills that make Strahan a successful television host also work well in advertising, and he makes money by endorsing several products.

Michael Strahan had an incredible NFL career playing with the New York Giants. His career was so good, in fact, that he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2013 in his first year of eligibility.

Even when he was playing in the league, though, it was clear that the football star's affable personality would help him to become a star in the media as well. And that is exactly what has happened, as television viewers can see him on both the news and game shows.

Strahan has an excellent 15-year football career that saw him pocket an estimated $76 million dollars. And working in many forms of media has also earned the charismatic star an enormous amount of money. But Strahan's net worth of an estimated $65 million is much lower than one might expect.

Kelly Ripa Almost Left Live For Good After Michael Strahan Left To Good Morning America Earlier Than Expected

A Star-Studded Football Career

The defensive end played his entire career for the New York Giants

Michael Strahan was born into a family of athletes. His mother was a basketball coach and his father was a boxer who once defeated Ken Norton. Strahan's uncle, Art, played for teams in both the AFL and NFL. His father was in the Army, and the future football star spent a good part of his childhood living in Germany.

After moving back to the States, Strahan became a star football player in high school and at Texas Southern University. He was drafted by the New York Giants in 1993 and would spend his entire 15-year career with the team.

While Strahan was building his football career, he was also practicing for a career in the media after his playing days were over. He said during a 2022 appearance on The Pivot Podcast, "I learned to use the media for my benefit in a lot of ways. I wouldn’t answer questions every day, I would tell them I’ll do it two days a week. It wasn’t cause I was mad at them, I just wanted to keep them on their toes."

Upon his retirement, the former Giants had several opportunities to work on different shows, but he decided to sign with Fox, working on the network's pregame television coverage. He would rapidly climb up the ranks of both football and mainstream media.

Strahan Has Become A Natural On Television

The broadcaster quickly rose up the ranks

Strahan joined the Fox crew and immediately developed a strong rapport with fellow hosts Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long. Fox had the media star on their football coverage, but other networks were interested in Strahan as well.

In 2010, the former football player made his first appearance as a guest host alongside Kelly Ripa on Live! with Regis and Kelly. He would go on to guest host 20 times over the next two years. When Regis Philbin announced that he would be leaving the show in 2012, ABC hired Strahan as his replacement and the program was rebranded Live! With Kelly and Michael.

The show was a huge hit and recorded impressive ratings numbers. Upon joining up with Ripa, Strahan began making money similar to what he made during his football career. It was estimated that he was paid $5 million a year to host the show on ABC.Live! had a strong run with Strahan and Ripa as the hosts, and the duo twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host.

The former football player wasn't done climbing the television ladder. In 2016, he left Live! With Micheal and Kelly so that he could move to Good Morning America full-time. He was still working for ABC, but now, he was working for the network's flagship show.

It is estimated that Strahan makes $17 million per year working on Good Morning America.

Strahan Is Also An In-Demand Pitchman

Several companies have hired the former Giants' star to rep their brands

The same characteristics that make Strahan a good television host also make him a good brand representative, and companies are aware of that. He has worked with major companies like Subway, Dr. Pepper and Right Guard. It is estimated that Strahan makes at least $1 million a year as a company pitchman.

Strahan also lends his voice and time to a number of charitable endeavors. He has worked with PETA and The Children's Miracle Network. Strahan has also appeared in several spots for St. Jude. It is a charity close to his heart as his daughter, Isabella, is battling cancer.

Strahan has also worked as a game show host on ABC's The $100,000 Pyramid. The show was the football player's favorite when he was younger, and he has been hosting the show since 2016.

Strahan's Divorce Has Hurt His Financial Status

The 2006 divorce cost the football player millions of dollars

Strahan first married a woman named Wanda Hutchins in 1992 when he was only 21 years old and still in college. While Strahan and Hutchins would have two children, the relationship would end in divorce in 1996 before the football player would become especially wealthy.

Now a single football star living in New York City, Strahan met a woman named Jean Muggli at a local spa. The couple would be married in 1999 and would welcome twins in 2004. There were issues with the match, though, and the pair would soon separate.

The divorce proceedings, which began in 2006, were acrimonious. Muggli accused her husband of infidelity and abuse. Strahan was eventually ordered to pay his ex-wife $15 million, along with $18,000 a month in alimony. In addition, the football player was ordered to sell his New Jersey mansion (which sold for $3.6 million) and split the money with his ex-wife.

After losing so much money in his divorce, it is unlikely that Strahan would look to get married again. Muggli has continued to accuse him of treating his children poorly and not paying back loans. The Good Morning America co-host has now been in a relationship with a woman named Kayla Quick since 2015.

Michael Strahan's Divorce Took An Ugly Turn After His Ex-Wife Claimed He Was A "Financial Burden" With The Kids

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