After six seasons, Ryan Seacrest is leaving the daytime talk show “Live with Kelly and Ryan.”
Kelly Ripa’s husband, Mark Consuelos, will be Seacrest’s replacement and the show will be called “Live with Kelly and Mark.”
He made the announcement on the Feb. 16 episode of the show and also on social media.
“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,” his Instagram caption read.
The radio host revealed that the move will be happening in the coming months.
“I’ve been grateful to be able to share a cup of coffee with our viewers every day, one of the best parts of the gig,” he continued. “I’ll be transitioning out of ‘Live’ this Spring to shoot the 21st season of ‘American Idol’ in L.A., continue my radio show on KIIS-FM and ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve,’ and focus my summer on opening three more Ryan Seacrest Foundation Studios in pediatric hospitals across the country.”
Seacrest said it’s not entirely goodbye to “Live,” as he’s set to fill-in in the future.
When the Emmy award winner made the announcement on the air, he promised Ripa he wouldn’t cry but he was emotional.
“You are family here. We love you. We are so proud of you,” Ripa said. “I know how much of a sacrifice it’s been. I know how exhausting it’s been going back and forth [from New York to L.A.].”
The co-host often talked about being bi-coastal during his tenure on the show. To lighten the mood, he joked that the New York City winters were the reason he was being pushed back to Los Angeles.
He’s the second cohost of Ripa’s since Regis Philbin left in 2011. Michael Strahan became his replacement and left in 2016, with Seacrest filling the role after him.
