Ryan Seacrest said Thursday that he is leaving the highly-rated talk show “Live with Kelly and Ryan” and will be replaced by co-host Kelly Ripa’s husband Mark Consuelos. The show will be renamed “Live with Kelly and Mark”. (Watch the video below.)
Seacrest made the surprise announcement on Thursday’s episode. He will leave ABC’s New York show in the spring while working on episodes of “American Idol” in Los Angeles.
“Working with Kelly for the past six years has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career,” she told Variety. “She was an amazing companion, friend and confidant and although we will always be a part of each other’s lives, I will miss our mornings together.”
“I am so grateful to have spent the last six years with my dear friend of too many decades to count, and I will miss starting my days with Ryan,” Ripa added. “Ryan’s energy, passion and love for entertainment is second to none.”
Ripa previously dated Regis Philbin from 2001 to 2011 and Michael Strahan from 2012 to 2016.
Seacrest will leave the show on a high. According to Variety, it topped the female 25-54 demographic for 56 consecutive weeks.
The pairing of Ripa and husband Consuelos, who played the villain on “Riverdale” for years, will likely spawn more of the intimate revelations the two were known for when she was a guest.
