AceShowbiz -

Michael Strahan was planning to bail on "Live! with Kelly and Michael" long before the "Good Morning America" opportunity surfaced. According to TMZ, the former NFL player wanted to work where his co-host wasn't tormenting him.

Production sources tell the site that Kelly Ripa has been jealous with Michael. Mark Consuelos' wife reportedly couldn't stand the fact that he stole some of her shine. She hated it when Michael became an instant star and got lots of attention.

One source reveals it got to a point where Kelly was "bullying" Michael, although on camera you couldn't tell. However, another source says the notion Kelly was bullying Michael is "a joke."

Michael gets more money, a group of co-hosts he likes and who like him, and the right to continue his sports stuff on "GMA". He also wants to grow beyond interviewing celebrities.

According to the site Michael texted Kelly after the news broke, trying to create an atmosphere where they could co-exist for the duration of his time on "Live!". However, she did not respond until Saturday, and it was "short and superficial."

From Kelly's perspective, we know Michael was at war with Executive Producer Michael Gelman for the first year and made things very uncomfortable for everyone. According to the sources, a lot of the conflict happened because Michael was not "present enough" on "Live!" due to his part-time gig on "GMA".