Michael Strahan just learned a jaw-dropping secret about his childhood — and it involves a family pet he didn’t know became dinner.
The former NFL player and Good Morning America co-host had no idea that his beloved pet pig from childhood was, at some point, served up as a meal. The bombshell came from an old interview between Strahan’s parents and his former GMA co-host Sara Haines, who sat down with the family before Michael’s father, Gene Strahan, passed away in 2020.
“I went to shoot with his parents because I wanted to give him some special moments as one of five kids,” Haines shared on The Weekend View. “And during that time, they told me they had a pet pig — and they ate the pig.”
What makes it even wilder? Michael had no clue.
“I come back and I’m joking with Michael about it like, ‘What about that pig, huh?’” Haines recalled. “And he just looked at me and said, ‘What are you talking about?’ He didn’t know. He had no idea. They never told him!”
Naturally, the revelation sent Michael straight to the source.
“He called his mom immediately,” Haines said, laughing. “I felt awful. I didn’t mean to expose a family secret! I just assumed he already knew.”
Despite that bizarre culinary surprise, Strahan’s relationship with his parents was always strong.
“I never knew I could accomplish so much, but my parents never act surprised,” he told PEOPLE in a 2016 interview. “They look at me as if there’s no limit. That helped me feel like there’s no limit.”