Goodbye, “Live with Kelly and Ryan.” Hello, “Live with Kelly and Mark.”
Ryan Seacrest announced Thursday that he will be leaving “Live” after co-hosting the morning talk show alongside Kelly Ripa for six years. The longtime “American Idol” host and radio personality will be replaced by Ripa’s husband, actor Mark Consuelos.
“I’m going to miss my work wife and all the laughter we share. When I signed on to host Live in 2017 it was meant to be for 3 years, but I loved the job and working with Kelly so much that I extended my time and last year I made the decision to stay on for one more final season,” Seacrest wrote on Instagram, where he shared a carousel of photos of him and Ripa goofing around on the set of “Live with Kelly and Ryan.”
“I’ve been grateful to be able to share a cup of coffee with our viewers everyday, one of the best parts of the gig.”
On her Instagram page, Ripa celebrated the news by sharing a throwback photo of herself, Seacrest and Consuelos dressing up as “I Love Lucy” characters on a Halloween episode of “Live with Kelly and Ryan.”
“When your friends become work mates become family,” Ripa captioned the pic. “Congratulations @ryanseacrest on surviving six winters in NYC! I’m proud of you and am forever in your corner. And @instasuelos welcome home, or to the contractual obligation phase of our relationship.”
Consuelos has yet to comment publicly on his new gig.
In his exit statement, Seacrest revealed that he will “be transitioning out of Live this Spring to shoot the 21st season of American idol in LA.” He will also continue hosting his radio show on KIIS-FM (102.7), as well as “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve” on ABC. Additionally, the Emmy-winning entertainer said he plans to open “three more Ryan Seacrest Foundation Studios” — where pediatric hospital patients can experiment with radio and TV equipment — in different locations.
“I’m looking forward to coming back to guest host [‘Live’] in the future and Kelly, I promise to forever share my food photos, chicken eggs, and olive oil with you,” Seacrest continued in his farewell message. “And congratulations to my brother Mark, feel free to remodel my dressing room!”
Seacrest joined the cast of “Live” in 2017 after Ripa’s “Live with Kelly and Michael” co-host Michael Strahan departed in 2016. Before “Live with Kelly and Michael,” Ripa co-hosted “Live with Regis and Kelly” opposite the late Regis Philbin.
During his “Live” tenure, Seacrest also served as an executive producer on the show.
Despite Ripa’s Instagram quip about entering the “contractual obligation phase” of their relationship, this is far from the first time she and Consuelos have worked together. The couple met while co-starring on the soap opera “All My Children” in the 1990s and have since teamed up for several projects via their New York-based production company, Milojo Productions.
Consuelos has also previously guest-hosted multiple episodes of “Live.” However, Ripa told Vanity Fair after Philbin retired in 2011 that Consuelos didn’t want to become her permanent co-host.
“No one would make me happier than Mark,” she said at the time, “but he values our marriage and he says that he doesn’t see how we could stay married and both do that show.”
