Sara Haines’ TEARFUL CONFESSION stuns fans—why she cried every day during her nightmare show with Strahan and Keke, and how she found her voice after hitting rock bottom

Sara Haines is finally opening up about a painful chapter in her career that left her questioning everything. During her time on Strahan, Sara and Keke, the beloved TV personality says she “cried every day,” struggling behind the scenes while putting on a brave face for viewers. What caused her emotional spiral—and how did she come back stronger, louder, and more confident than ever? Her bond with Michael Strahan and Keke Palmer may surprise you.

Find out what really happened behind the cancellation, and how Sara turned heartbreak into growth—read the full story now.

(L-R) Michael Strahan, Keke Palmer and Sara Haines on ‘Strahan, Sara and Keke’.Credit :  Lou Rocco/ABC/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

Sara Haines reflected on the ups and downs of her time hosting the third hour of Good Morning America, calling it “a failed experiment from the beginning”
Haines said she felt “pressure” to live up to her co-hosts Michael Strahan and Keke Palmer, both of whom already made a name for themselves in the industry
Haines also reflected on how she “cried every day” because of how she felt she was perceived differently after welcoming her third child during the show’s run

Sara Haines is reflecting on the many ups and downs she had while co-hosting GMA3, the third hour of Good Morning America.

The show, which began as GMA Day in 2018, was later renamed Strahan and Sarah after co-hosts Haines and Michael Strahan. When Keke Palmer joined to make them a trio in 2019, it was renamed Strahan, Sara and Keke. In 2020, the show was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic and never returned.

“I think the problem was it was a failed experiment from the beginning,” Haines, 47, said on a recent episode of Danielle Robay’s Question Everything podcast.

Looking back, Haines said a moment of “foreshadowing” early on was when she was presented with a handful of potential names for the show and the network went with the one she expressed dislike for.

Michael Strahan (L) and Sara Haines (R) on ‘Strahan and Sara’.Paula Lobo/ABC

“That should have told me everything I needed to know,” she joked.

Haines said she was taken “into some really dark places” when putting “pressure” on herself to live up to the names Strahan and Palmer had already made for themselves in the industry.

Further complicating things early on, Haines said, was discovering that she and her husband, Max Shifrin, were expecting their third child.

This happened, she recalled, just a week after she told Shifrin she thought she “could have a mental breakdown” if she were to become pregnant while trying to make this new show a success.

“That was the beginning of all the falling dominoes,” she recalled. “I knew the north star was family, but I also know, girl, you were just given a show, and you are Sara, not Michael. And you get pregnant? Every bad female storyline started flying at my face.”

“It always felt like it was my fault,” she said of how she felt on the show. “No one made me think that, so I’m not blaming anyone. It was me.”

Haines said a pivotal moment came when her husband helped put things in perspective with some “beautiful” advice.

“He said, ‘Stop holding on to this show like it was the dream you had, because it never was. It just sounded like it,’” she remembered him telling her. “Max said, ‘You are fighting like it’s everything you thought it was. You know it’s not. You’ve known that. Let go.’”

Max Shifrin (L) and Sara Haines (R) attend the world premiere of ‘Nobody’s Fool’ on October 28, 2018 in New York City.Roy Rochlin/Getty

Haines also recalled how she felt she was treated differently after returning to work after welcoming her third child. After having the freedom to do whatever she wanted before, Haines now said she was presented with segments about being a mom or ones focused on parenting.

“I do not at all feel any bad feelings toward the many women, but it was mostly a female staff, and they were young and they weren’t at that point in their lives yet,” she said. “So I don’t think they understand how that was received as they pitched that way. Like, I could still jump out of planes. Now they were like, ‘Oh we can’t have a mom [do that].’ Well, guess what, moms do a lot of stuff.”

“I hadn’t changed. Everyone else projected a change,” she continued, adding that she “cried every day” due to this changed perception about her.

Haines said she’s able to look back on this time in her career and see it for what it is.

“Funny enough, there were a lot of great moments,” she explained. “The staff was amazing. I loved Keke and Michael. I mean, talk about laughing until you hurt. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, that’s the problem. But as it played out, it felt like I was being dragged behind a car. For the first time, I couldn’t wait to leave.”

“I was one of those moms who felt better going to work. Now, work was not a safe haven,” she continued. “That was a really low point.”

(L-R) ‘The View’ co-hosts Sunny Hostin, Joy Behar, Ana Navarro, Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines and Alyssa Farah Griffin.ABC/JEFF LIPSKY

After her time venturing out with the third hour of GMA, Haines returned to The View after previously being a co-host from 2016 to 2018. She has been back at that famous table since rejoining in 2020.

“Every fall you have you take something with you, and I came back with a louder voice,” Haines said of what she took away from Strahan, Sara and Keke. “I heard myself.”