Michael Had Two Kids With His First Wife
Before he made a name for himself as a professional footballer, Michael Strahan married his first wife, Wanda Hutchins. The couple tied the knot in 1992, one year before he signed for the New York Giants, and Wanda stayed by his side during his crazy first year in the limelight. In fact, the couple even welcomed two children - a son and a daughter - into the world. But their love just wasn't meant to last.
Michael and Wanda divorced in 1996, and this took a toll on Michael's mental health. Although he wanted to spend as much time with his kids as possible, his busy schedule meant that they lived with Wanda full-time.
He Met His Second Wife at the Spa
Although Michael Strahan's second wife was one of his longest relationships, it's fair to say that they met under very unusual circumstances. Michael first came across Jean Muggli in 1994, when he had just started playing for the New York Giants. On one particular day, Michael headed to a spa where Jean worked to pick up some shower gel - and he stopped in his tracks as soon as he set eyes on her.
Back in the day, Michael wasn't the confident man that he is now, so he returned to the spa day after day before he finally worked up the courage to talk to her. By that point, he had spent hundreds of dollars.
Jean Had Absolutely No Interest in Sports
While they do say that opposites attract, it's always a good idea when your partner understands and appreciates what you do for a living. However, that was never the case with Michael Strahan and Jean Muggli. From the get-go, Jean told Michael that she had absolutely no interest in sports or even understood what he did within the NFL. At the time, Michael was so blinded by love that he didn't seem to care.
However, the more years they spent together, the more it became clear that their lack of common ground contributed to their divorce. They just didn't have much to say to each other, after all.
Michael Served Jean With a Promising Prenup
In the celebrity world, it's not uncommon for couples to sign prenups before they get married. In most cases, this equally divides assets and earnings to ensure that what one person earns stays completely theirs. But when he asked Jean Muggli to marry him, Michael Strahan offered her a promising prenuptial agreement that certainly worked in her favor. This prenup stated that she would get 20% of everything he earned during their marriage if they ever separated.
Of course, Michael and Jean didn't go into their marriage thinking they would ever get divorced, so Jean didn't think too much about this prenup. But it certainly worked in her favor when they did eventually divorce.
Michael Learnt a Lot About Ending Relationships
When he realized that his first marriage to Wanda Hutchins was breaking down, he tried to mend it for the sake of his children. He didn't want to bring his kids into a broken family, and he had hoped to salvage what little love they had left. However, he discovered that drawing out the inevitable simply made things worse. He used this life lesson when he realized that his second marriage was on the rocks.
Although Michael had welcomed twins with his second wife, Jean Muggli, he knew it was wrong to stay with her for the sake of their children. So, he pulled the plug earlier on - but this didn't work in his favor.
His Second Wife Accused Him of Domestic Violence
When Michael made motions to divorce his first wife, he assumed that the whole process would be fairly smooth. However, he soon realized that wouldn't be the case when he was served with legal papers that told him Jean Muggli would be suing him for domestic violence. According to the papers, this claim could be "medically verified" and would sit alongside the other claims that suggested he'd been cheating on her with another woman.
Apparently, Michael made no secret about his affair and would talk to her on the phone in front of Jean. He would also buy presents for her and leave them out in the open in their shared home.
Michael and Jean Would Often Fight About Money
Every marriage has its ups and downs, but it's been reported that one of the main problem points for Michael Strahan and Jean Muggli was their finances. One point of contention came when Jean supposedly took $1.7 million from their joint bank account and put it into her own personal bank account. When Michael realized what had happened, he wasn't happy and reportedly demanded that she move it back to their joint account immediately.
In her official lawsuit, Muggli claims, "He was yelling so close that spit was hitting my face." As if that wasn't enough, she also reported that Michael would block her credit cards so she couldn't spend any money.
Jean Was Apparently Scared of Michael
After moving $1.7 million out of their joint account and into her personal account, Jean Muggli reportedly saw a different side to her husband. In her eyes, he had an angry, dangerous side - and she didn't want any part of that. That's supposedly the reason why she took another $1.6 million out of their joint account and moved it into her personal account. According to her, she was scared of her husband.
She said, "I was afraid at this point. He looked at me with such hate." And, apparently, she took this money because she wanted to leave Michael and start a new life for herself.
It Wasn't the First Time He'd Supposedly Acted Out
Jean Muggli's lawsuit against Michael Strahan eventually made its way into court, and even more revelations about their marriage came to light. According to Jean, that wasn't the first time that Michael had been violent and aggressive towards her. She told the courts that he often had fits of rage, and she claimed that Michael even punched her face while they were living overseas in Germany in 1996. This was before they got married.
Jean filed police reports against her husband when they returned to the U.S., and the police confirmed that they did make a couple of visits to their home during that time. So, was she telling the truth?
He Reportedly Took Videos of Jean's Sister
As well as making domestic charges against her ex-husband, Jean Muggli also had some other information to share with the courts. She claimed that, before they got married, Michael took videos of her sister while she was getting undressed. Her sister had no idea that she was being filmed, and Jean reportedly discovered what had happened when she spotted filming equipment in the bedroom her sister was staying in.
Jean also claimed that Michael paid $30,000 to keep her quiet about the whole ordeal. However, Michael has neither accepted or denied these claims against him, so the truth is still unknown.
Jean and Michael Eventually Went to Therapy
Despite claims of domestic abuse and violence, it seems as though Jean Muggli wanted to work through their problems during this time. She managed to convince Michael to go to therapy, and they went together to work on his anger problems and the issues in their marriage. By this point, they hadn't had their daughters - but she knew that Michael had the potential to be a wonderful father. So, she stuck by him.
By the time their daughters arrived, however, his anger issues were reportedly still there. And it seemed as though Michael had had enough of his life with his second wife.
Michael Denies the Charges
When the couple eventually decided to call it quits and get divorced, Michael hoped that they would amicably part ways without too much drama. But then he found himself faced with domestic abuse charges - and he wasn't happy. Although Jean Muggli seemed to have a believable case against her ex-husband, Michael Strahan denied any wrongdoing and denied all of the domestic abuse charges against him. He said he would never "physically or psychologically harm any of my loved ones, especially my wife."
At the time, people just didn't know what to believe. It was one person's word against another, and what made it all the more difficult was that everything that supposedly happened took place behind closed doors. But later on, the tide seemed to change in his favor.
Jean Also Claimed That Michael Preferred Men
When they finally divorced, Jean seemed to get many things off her chest. And another allegation she added to the list was that her ex-husband's sexuality was part of the reason why their marriage broke down. Although Michael has only publicly had relationships with women, she claimed that Michael was secretly attracted to men - and that his sexuality was the main reason why he had stopped being intimate with her during their marriage.
She even suggested that Strahan had a secret relationship with fellow NFL star, Ian Smith. The footballers lived together for a few months, and Jean Muggli said, "You can tell an alternative lifestyle sprouted."
Eventually, Jean Retracted the Allegations Against Michael
For a while, many people believed Jean Muggli's side of the story and believed her claims about Michael Strahan. This put his whole career in jeopardy and completely changed public opinion of him. But then, out of the blue, Jean retracted all of her allegations against her ex-husband, and the judge for their lawsuit had no option but to dismiss the case and drop all charges against the famous football player.
Of course, the optics of Jean changing her story so far into the lawsuit weren't in her favor. Many people assumed that she had simply made up the stories about her ex to tear his reputation down.
The Whole Ordeal Lost Him Time With His Kids
Although Michael's fans breathed a sigh of relief when they learned that Jean Muggli had retracted her claims, that didn't mean that Michael was off the hook completely. Apparently, it was decided that Michael would no longer be allowed to live in the home that he had purchased with Jean, and that he wouldn't even be allowed in to see their daughters. Instead, he had to meet them outside the house every second two days.
Being denied access to his house and his children was a tough pill for Michael to swallow, but it was something that he simply had to deal with. And it was something that he had to try and get over.
Jean Got $15 Million From Their Divorce
Losing his wife, home, and children to his divorce was probably hard enough without the domestic abuse charges thrown in there, too. But things got even worse for Michael when it came to their finances. Although Strahan had been happy with the prenuptial agreement they agreed upon before they tied the knot, the bad blood between them made parting with almost $16 million a tough blow to his ego and his bank account.
Yes, Muggli walked away with 20% of everything Michael earned between 1999 and 2006 - and this meant that she had a huge payday that set her up for the rest of her life.
Muggli Didn't Feel Guilty About Her Payout
As prenuptial agreements are lawful agreements, most people understood why Jean walked away from their marriage with almost $16 million in her bank account. However, others questioned whether she felt any guilt or remorse for profiting so heavily from such a strained divorce. They wondered whether she would perhaps give some money back - especially as she had caused such distress by filing a lawsuit and then retracting her claims later on.
In her eyes, the prenup was created by Michael and his lawyers - and so was the fact that he needed to pay $18,000 a month in child support. But then, Michael did something that changed everything.
Michael Then Accused Jean of Abuse
Although Jean Muggli had previously accused Michael Strahan of abuse, the football player turned the tables in 2020 and served his ex-wife with a different lawsuit. He claimed that Jean had been abusing their daughters and that there had been "a pattern of abusive conduct towards the children for years." In an effort to keep his children safe, he wanted the kids taken away from Jean so that he could have full custody.
In his eyes, the only way for him to keep his children safe was to take them out of harm's way - and that harm was coming from their very own mother. But what was she reportedly doing?
He Claimed That Jean Was Keeping His Daughters From Him
Michael didn't file the lawsuit without claims to back him up. He made countless allegations against his ex-wife in these filings, with many of them stating that Jean Muggli was actively trying to keep his daughters away from him. He alleged that, on one particular occasion, Jean hid the twins' passports because Michael was planning on taking them to Europe with him. So, they had to stay home as a result.
Alongside this, he also claimed that Jean refused to take his daughters to certain commitments, such as volleyball matches and court-ordered therapy sessions with their father. Of course, it didn't take too long for Jean to fight back.
Jean Accused Michael of Hiring a PI
In response to Michael's lawsuit against her, Jean Muggli decided to fight back with her own claims. She denied any wrongdoing and all of the abuse allegations against her and maintained that she was a loving and thoughtful mother. She also accused Michael of hiring a private investigator to spy on the family, put her under constant surveillance, and watch the house and her every move. As you can imagine, Michael's legal team also denied such claims.
The legal battle soon turned ugly, with their daughters stuck in the middle of the whole thing. For a while neither side wanted to back down - but then they eventually reached an agreement.
Eventually, They Agreed on Joint Custody
When Michael Strahan and Jean Muggli entered into their first legal battle, their daughters were too young to really understand what was going on. But when they entered into their second battle in 2020, the girls were much older and fully understood the strain that the legal issues were having on their lives. Because of this, Michael and Jean decided to sort out their differences quicker to avoid any fallout with their daughters.
In the end, they ultimately decided on joint custody. This meant that the twins would live with Jean for one week and then live with Michael the next. But that wasn't the end of their battle.
Jean Claimed Michael Hadn't Paid Child Support
Although Michael filed this second lawsuit, it seemed that Jean didn't want the judge to focus all of his attention on her. So, she decided to bring her own complaints into the courtroom, too. Her legal team claimed that Michael had not been paying his share of child support - and she even stated that she wanted the payments to be increased. After all, Michael's payments had been reduced to $13,000 a month when he retired from his football career.
According to Jean, Michael made all kinds of excuses not to pay and had been "battering her financially" in an effort to avoid paying her entirely. And she wanted what she had been owed.
She Was Arrested in 2021 After Breaking a Restraining Order Her Former Friend Filed
Unluckily for Jean, the judge dismissed her request and the case was closed - but things didn't get any better for Jean. In June 2021, she was arrested for breaking the rules of a restraining order. This restraining order had been granted for her ex-friend and former housemate, Marianne Ayers, who accused her of being a "sociopath and narcissist." In fact, she even claimed that Jean Muggli had been abusive towards her son.
In an attempt to get back at Marianna, Muggli reportedly went to her home and handed out inappropriate photos of Marianna to random passers-by. As a result, the cops were called.
Strahan Was Also Sued for $100 Million
Michael Strahan has also had his fair share of legal battles over the years, but his legal battle with his ex-wife wasn't the only thing he was dealing with in 2020. That same year, Strahan and Wiz Khalifa discovered that they were being sued by one of their business partners for $100 million. The business partner claims that they weren't paid the interest they were owed from their joint business venture.
Because of this, Michael and Wiz were accused of stealing and taking part in a "civil conspiracy." There's been no news of where they stand with this lawsuit since 2020, though.
Michael Moved on With Nicole Murphy
Although Jean Muggli had a tough time after her divorce from Michael Strahan, the same couldn't be said for Michael himself. Shortly after the divorce papers were finalized, he started dating Eddie Murphy's ex-wife, Nicole Murphy. Both of them had children of their own when they entered into their relationship, so it took a while to navigate this new space. But despite the challenges that come with a blended family, they knew it was worth fighting for.
In 2009, Michael decided to make their love official and ask Nicole to marry him. Of course, she accepted his offer - but that didn't mean that things would be smooth sailing.
Nicole Refused to Sign Michael's Prenup
After two failed marriages, Michael Strahan didn't want to take any chances with his third potential wife. He also didn't want to lose any more of his money, which is why he got his lawyers to draft up a seamless prenuptial agreement for Nicole Murphy to sign. And while he assumed that Nicole would be willing to sign it, it seemed as though the prenup didn't sit well with her.
According to reports, Michael's terms didn't quite match up with her own expectations, and she refused to sign it. Although they continued with their relationship for a while, they eventually broke up in 2014.
It Was Rumored That Michael Cheated on Nicole With Kelly Ripa
So, what caused the breakdown of this long-term relationship? Although neither Michael nor Nicole gave any official explanation for their breakup, there were many rumors floating around. Some rumors stated that they continuously argued about the prenup, while other sources claimed that the couple broke up because he cheated on her with another woman. Although many names came out of the woodwork, the most shocking rumor was that he cheated with his TV co-host, Kelly Ripa.
Of course, as co-hosts of Live! with Kelly and Michael, the two of them grew to be extremely close and had a deep connection. But evidence suggests that Kelly wasn't the "other woman."
Michael and Kelly Weren't Close in Real Life
When fans heard of the rumors surrounding Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan, they were quick to believe them as they seemed to have such a close relationship on-screen. But in real life, they weren't as close as it seemed. It's been reported that they were simply co-workers with a lot of on-camera chemistry - and things got even worse when Michael decided that he was going to be leaving the show in search of new opportunities.
According to reports, Ripa had no idea that Michael was leaving until he released an official statement - and she was hurt that he had made such a decision without telling her first.
He Admitted That He Didn't Miss the Show
As Live! with Kelly and Michael had been such a huge part of his life, many assumed that Michael Strahan would eventually come to miss sharing the screen with Kelly Ripa and being by her side every day. However, it soon became clear that he didn't miss it at all, and he didn't regret his career move in the slightest. He even admitted as much during an interview with Chelsea Handler.
Reports suggest that this didn't go down well with Kelly at all, and she felt hurt by his words. And while Kelly had hoped to rebuild their friendship, things just got even worse.
Michael and Kelly Are Still Feuding
Unfortunately, things don't seem to have gotten any better for Michael and Kelly Ripa. Despite years of working alongside each other, they're still at loggerheads, thanks to Michael's swift departure from the show. In 2016, Michael confirmed that their feud had spiraled out of control during a high-profile interview - and this just seemed to make things even worse. In 2020, Kelly also had her say on her former friendship with Michael.
During this interview, Kelly stated that she was upset with the way that Michael handed himself when he announced his exit, and found it an extremely tough pill to swallow that he didn't talk to her about it.
News of Michael and Nicole's Split May Have Been Planned
Now that more people know the true story of Michael Strahan and Kelly Ripa's broken friendship, they find it unbelievable that they had an affair. However, this begs the question: why did Michael and Nicole Murphy really break up? While it's unlikely that we'll ever know what really happened, the rumor going around is that the news of their breakup was an elaborate act and was pre-planned by Nicole herself.
In fact, the news of their breakup came at the exact same time that Michael was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame - and sources state that Nicole wanted to take the attention away from him during this time.
Michael Moved on With Kayla Quick
Since making his way into the limelight, Michael struggled to maintain his personal relationships. He got divorced twice, he ended an engagement, and he was accused of cheating with his co-host. That's probably why he decided to try a different method when he met Kayla Quick in 2015. Instead of going public with his relationship, he's decided to keep his relationship on the down-low - and none of us really know whether they're still together or not.
Although the alleged couple has made a few public appearances together over the years, their relationship status has never been confirmed or denied. We do know that she's been in trouble with the law, though.
Kayla's Been Arrested Multiple Times
Michael seems to have a penchant for a certain type of woman. Not only was his ex-wife arrested, but his new rumored girlfriend has also been arrested on multiple occasions over the years. While this was mostly when she was younger, the crimes were still serious - and she was arrested for breaking and entering, stealing, and more. That's probably another reason why Michael Strahan would want to keep his girlfriend on the down-low.
As Kayla hasn't been arrested for many years now, it seems as though that stage of her life is over. But many of Michael's fans still worry about his intentions with Kayla. Does he plan to propose a fourth time?
Now, He Wants an Easy Life
After so much drama in his personal life, it seems as though Michael Strahan is now looking to chill out and take some time away from the spotlight. While he's still a huge name in the celebrity world, he's become much more secretive over the years. He's keeping his relationships to himself, and he's focusing on business opportunities behind the scenes rather than being front-and-center of cameras in a television studio.
And after everything he's been through with his ex-wives, ex-partners, and ex-business partners, we really don't blame him. Let's hope he can finally find some peace after so much chaos.
He's Officially the Tallest Man to Ever Travel to Space
As a major celebrity, it's fair to say that Michael Strahan has been offered chances that most people can only dream of. This was proven in 2021, when Strahan was offered the chance to travel into space with the help of Jeff Bezos. Of course, Michael jumped at the chance to jet off into the sky - and he officially became the tallest person to ever travel into space as a result.
But while he loved the experience, his journey up into space was met with a lot of criticism from people who believe funds would be better-placed saving the world from climate change. This was nothing compared to the outrage over his personal relationships, though.