Warner Bros.
"I had the ones that were saying, 'You let Gap Nation down! You should be ashamed of yourself!'"
Michael Strahan created quite the social media frenzy earlier this month when he posted a video on Instagram -- without his signature gap tooth.
While appearing on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Monday, Strahan opened up about the speculation surrounding his epic April Fool's Day prank.
"I truly did not think people cared that much about my teeth," the "Good Morning America" co-anchor said of the avalanche of mixed reviews online. "I just did it as a little prank thinking a few of my Instagram followers would be like, 'Oh, he's [being] crazy' -- they would know it's fake."
The 49-year-old star explained how the prank caught so much attention that it ended up "ruining" part of his spring-break vacation with his kids.
Michael told host Ellen DeGeneres, "My phone blows up -- 700 text messages, 400 emails, and then I got everybody FaceTiming me trying to see. I just ignored everybody."
Clearing the air once and for all Strahan said, "I'm here to report that it was a prank."
ABC
Michael Strahan Isn't Buying ABC Colleague Chris Harrison's Apology
View StoryAdding, "People still think it's real — I had all these messages, like, 'Oh, you do you, we're so proud of you.' But then I had the ones that were saying, 'You let Gap Nation down! You should be ashamed of yourself!'"
"Gap Nation, I am here to stay. I'm not doing anywhere. April Fool's everybody," the former NFL star concluded.
Ellen hilariously replied, "I didn't know there was a Gap Nation? You would be the King of it -- if there was a Gap Nation. You make it work. It looks good."
The viral video prank, which garnered almost 900k views on his Instagram, looked incredibly convincing as it shows Michael talking with dentist, Dr. Lee Gause, about the hesitation to go forward with the procedure after nearly 50 years in the making, and walks fans through the two-day process of removing his famous gap tooth.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Updating fans a day later, Strahan took to Instagram to address that it was in fact, a joke.
"I was surprised, to be honest with you, at how many people were like, 'No! Don't get rid of the gap, it's your signature!' And I've always kind of looked at it that way, but I didn't know so many people cared," he said.
The Fox Sports commentator went on to say, "I appreciate all the love for the gap, and I've had it for you know, almost 50 years," removing his face mask and revealing a smile with his gap still there, he added, "I just wanted to say, April Fool's!"
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
