Ryan Seacrest Shocks Fans With 'Live with Kelly and Ryan' Announcement
And the news involves Kelly Ripa's husband Mark Consuelos.
Ryan Seacrest is bidding farewell to his tenure as cohost of daytime talk show Live with Kelly and Ryan.
The radio personality announced his decision on air during the episode on Thursday, Feb. 16, calling it "bittersweet" while emphasizing how unique the "magic" of the series is.
The two admitted that they'd been talking about his departure for a while now, with cohost Kelly Ripa joking about how surprised she was he'd made it that far given his affinity for the warmth of Los Angeles before adding, “You are family here. We love you. We are so proud of you."
In the "shocking twist of the whole thing," the pair also announced Seacrest's replacement: Ripa's husband Mark Consuelos.
The host followed up shortly after with an additional explanation on Instagram, where he also shared a heartfelt message to his "work wife."
"I’m going to miss my work wife and all the laughter we share," he began the lengthy caption, explaining that when he first signed on to the show in 2017 it was only meant to last for three years. He continued, noting "...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."
"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," he added.
He'll continue hosting through the spring of 2023, at which point he'll be transitioning out to focus on a number of other projects, including hosting the 21st season of American Idol, recording his radio show on KIIS-FM, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin' Eve, and opening up three Ryan Seacrest Foundation Studios in pediatric hospitals throughout the U.S.
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Still, it's not goodbye forever. "I’m looking forward to coming back to guest host in the future," he added, congratulating Consuelos and granting permission to remodel the dressing room to wrap it all up.
Alongside his announcement, Seacrest shared a slew of photos with his soon-to-be-former co-host in celebration of their work together, and it's clear that viewers will miss all of the fun they've had together.
"Oh no..so sad to hear. Love watching you every morning. You will be missed. You brought a lot to the show," one wrote in response to the news.
"Will miss you so much everyday at Live....It won't be the same without you....please come back sooner???? but wish you the best of everything ?? ?? ??," said another.
Consuelos has yet to address the news, but we're sure the Riverdale actor is thrilled to get to work side-by-side with his wife! For her part, Ripa joked it would be "the nation’s weirdest social experiment" during this morning's episode.
