Media personality Ryan Seacrest, 48, has announced this morning that come Spring, he will be bidding adieu to Live after almost six years of dealing with cohost Kelly Ripa's passive aggressive shade towards him.
Ryan's replacement will be Ripa's husband Mark Consuelos.
via Page Six:
Seacrest broke the “bittersweet” news 15 minutes into Thursday’s episode of the morning talk show.
Seacrest, 48, began co-hosting with Ripa, 52, in 2017.
The “American Idol” host called the “All My Children” alum his “dream partner” at the time.
As for Ripa, she gushed, “Ryan is a close friend, and his star shines as brightly off camera as it does on.
“His tremendous success is only matched by his impeccable reputation,” she continued. “Plainly said, everyone loves him, and so will our daily viewers.”
Ripa previously worked alongside Regis Philbin from 2001 to 2011 followed by Michael Strahan from 2012 to 2016.
Over the years, Consuelos has filled in for Seacrest on multiple occasions.
The “Riverdale” star has been married to Ripa since 1996, and the couple share three children — Michael, 25, Lola, 21, and Joaquin, 19.
“It’s so weird when you’re here because I just saw you at home,” Ripa joked during a 2020 episode. “Ryan, I see all the time, of course, but I never leave him and then go to work and there he is.”
The actress clarified that she “loved” having Consuelos at her side.
When it came to co-hosting with Philbin, however, Ripa told “Not Skinny But Not Fat” listeners in October 2022 that she would rethink that job knowing what she knows now.
“If I had known [about the show’s issues] going in, I wouldn’t have done it,” she said of fighting between Philbin and the network. “Luckily, ignorance is bliss.”
As for Strahan, Ripa and the retired athlete “couldn’t stand each other,” a source told Page Six in 2016, alleging, “Whenever they communicated off-camera, it was always through their reps.”
Since Kelly is notorious for pushing her male cohosts away (with Stratham and now Ryan) let's see how long her relationship with Mark lasts with them having to work together every morning.
And I don't want to hear "well they worked together on All My Children." That was over 20 years ago. Times and people have changed since then.
I'm just glad they didn't offer the job to that messy queen Andy Cohen.