Ryan Seacrest is leaving Live With Kelly and Ryan after six years as Kelly Ripa’s cohost.
The 48-year-old TV personality made the announcement on Thursday’s episode of the show, saying he planned to move to the west coast in spring to host the new season of American Idol in Los Angeles. And in what Ripa jokingly described as a “shocking twist,” he will be permanently replaced by her husband, actor Mark Consuelos , and the show will be retitled as Live with Kelly and Mark .
Seacrest joined the ABC morning series in 2017 and initially made a commitment for three years. He ended up cohosting for six.
Seacrest’s Statement
In a statement , the talk show host/producer said, “Working alongside Kelly over the past six years has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career. She has been an amazing partner, friend, and confidant, and although we will always be a part of each other’s lives, I will miss our mornings together.”
He also thanked the show’s executive producer, Michael Gelman, as well as the staff and crew, and reminisced about meeting “some of the most incredible people” and being welcomed “into the homes of so many viewers across America.”
“It’s been a memorable ride and now I’m excited to pass the baton to Kelly’s ‘real’ husband, Mark,” he added.
Ripa’s Statement
Ripa, 52, released a statement as well, expressing gratitude for having spent the last six years of the show with her best friend as cohost. She described him as “one-of-a-kind” because of his “energy, passion and love for entertainment.”
On Thursday’s live episode, when the announcement was made, she also thanked him on behalf of the show and expressed her admiration of him for being “a good man” whether onscreen or off.
“I say this about very few people: what you see is what you get,” she said.
Ripa’s ‘Live’ Cohost Through The Years
When Seacrest debuted in 2017, he became the third cohost Ripa has worked with on the show, following Michael Strahan and Regis Philbin. The All My Children alum joined Philbin in 2001 as Kathie Lee Gifford’s replacement, and she sat as his cohost for 10 years until his departure in November 2011.
After Philbin’s exit, Strahan took over cohosting duties on Live alongside Ripa, staying on from September 2012 until April 2016. He left the show for a job on Good Morning America .
Seacrest signed on as cohost and executive producer about a year after Strahan’s departure.
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Consuelos, A Regular Fill-In Host, Starts This Spring
Consuelos will step in this spring, although he isn’t exactly new to the audience of Live . The Riverdale actor, who married Ripa in 1996 and was also her costar in All My Children , has been a regular fill-in on the show for years.
In a statement, Gelman called him a “fan-favorite guest,” adding that the team was looking forward to having him on the morning series.
Meanwhile, Seacrest also said he wasn’t exactly leaving permanently, either, because he’d be coming back occasionally to guest-host and fill in.
