After missing several weeks, Michael Strahan is getting back into the swing of things with his television appearances.
He returned to his spot as one of the co-hosts at Good Morning America last week after taking time away for “personal family matters.”
The GMA star appeared to be in good spirits upon his return, including a special day on Tuesday.
It was Strahan’s birthday, and his co-host Robin Roberts made sure she reminded him about it a few times.
Early in the episode, the song Ring My Bell played with Strahan saying, “That’s my jam,” before asking, “Taking us back to the 70s, 80s?”
“You’re aging yourself right there,” Roberts said to him before Strahan told her, “Watch yourself.”
Strahan’s daughter posts sweet birthday tributes to dad
On Tuesday, Strahan turned 52, and it wasn’t just Roberts showing him love for his birthday. Strahan’s daughter Sophia also shared several messages on her social media to celebrate her dad.
In one of the GMA star’s photos posted to his Instagram Story, Sophia shared a photo of her dad smiling in a purple hooded sweatshirt and ball cap as he stood next to balloons.
One balloon resembled a liquor bottle with the words “Happy Birthday” and “Aged to Perfection” on it.
“Happy birthday to the best dad ever @michaelstrahan,” she wrote with heart exclamation point emojis.
“Love you lots,” she wrote over Strahan’s sweatshirt in text.
In another IG Story post, Sophia showed her dad smiling and wearing a blue and white foam Duke finger used to root for the team at sports events.
“Biggest supporter,” Sophia wrote near the top of the image, which appeared to have been taken in a campus bookstore.
Although Strahan went to college and played football at Texas Southern, his daughter Sophia attends Duke University, giving him another school and team to root for.
As Monsters and Critics reported, Sophia returned to social media ahead of her dad, amid his reported absence from GMA and Fox NFL Sunday to address “personal family matters.” One of Sophia’s posts featured her attending a Duke basketball game.
Strahan hasn’t posted to Instagram since late October. On Tuesday, he shared several birthday tributes on his IG Story, including one above from Sophia.
During Tuesday’s GMA, Straham also joked with consumer correspondent Becky Worley during a segment about Black Friday deals as she showed a massager as an item that “is very helpful for this aging jock.”
“Michael, I don’t know about you, but I use it on the thighs and arms,” Becky said.
“When you said aging jocks, I thought you meant me because it was my birthday, but that’s Ok Becky,” Strahan said, adding that he does use the massager too.
Strahan’s co-host Roberts wished him a happy birthday at the close of GMA’s episode. Roberts joked to “bring in the marching band,” but no band arrived as the show closed.
Who are Michael Strahan’s daughters?
Strahan has four kids, all from different marriages. His first marriage was to Wanda Hutchins from 1992 to 1996. The couple shares two children: a son, Michael Anthony Strahan Jr., and a daughter, Tanita Strahan.
He married Jean Muggli in 1999, and they had twin daughters five years later. Sophia and Isabella will turn 19 in December.
Sophia shared another photo to her IG Story featuring her family, including her dad smiling in a suit. Several heart emojis were placed near the top of the image as another sweet tribute to her father for his birthday.
Strahan and Muggli were divorced in 2006. The former New York Giants star met Nicole Mitchell, actor and comedian Eddie Murphy’s ex-wife.
Strahan and Mitchell were engaged in 2009 but ultimately broke off their engagement. They do not share any children.
As mentioned, Strahan stepped away from his live television duties in late October and was out for over two weeks. A rep from ABC confirmed that the GMA star was away for “personal family matters,” but those remain unknown.
Strahan first returned to Fox NFL Sunday for a special Veteran’s Day-themed episode before returning to GMA, where he’s appeared several times since. He’ll likely enjoy the Thanksgiving festivities with his family, although Fox, where he covers the NFL, will present a game on the holiday.
Based on his co-hosts’ sentiments on GMA and the various social media shares that Strahan’s daughter shared, he is feeling the love on his birthday as he heads into Thanksgiving.