Ryan Seacrest bid a tearful goodbye to the sets of ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan’ after being a co-host of the show for six years. Kelly joined in 2017 after Michael Strahan left, and he praised the show as a “well-oiled machine” in his last speech.
Kelly and Ryan’s on-screen chemistry is a hit, and both seem very comfortable with each other after working together for so many years. There have been hilarious as well as heartfelt moments on the show, and everyone will miss Ryan’s lighthearted banter.
In his goodbye speech, Ryan talked about how thankful he is to the audience for letting an LA stranger into their everyday lives. He didn’t forget to mention everything he would miss about the show and served a few laughs even in between the tears.
All the while, Kelly stood by her co-host, supporting him. The scene can make even the most iron-hearted people wilt, and many of the audience members were indeed seen crying.
The news of Ryan leaving the show shocked many people, and ever since the announcement, people have been fervent to know the reason behind his decision.
Rest assured, Ryan leaving the show wasn’t because of any bad blood between him and the producers or Kelly. It was a willful decision, whose details have been shared below.
Why is Ryan leaving ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan’?
Ryan announced his plan to leave the Ryan and Kelly show via an Instagram post on February 16, 2023. He also posted a series of pictures with Kelly and captioned them with, “I’m going to miss my work wife and all the laughter we share.”
In the post, Ryan explained that he wanted to focus on his job as the host of the 21st season of American Idol in LA. Some of his other shows that needed attention were his KIIS-FM radio show: On Air with Ryan Seacrest, his charity, Ryan Seacrest Foundation Studios, and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.
Leaving ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan’ will help him focus more on his other jobs, and he also plans to devote even more time to his charity to spread it across the country.
Other than what was publicly posted by Ryan himself, there have been reports that Ryan plans to move back to LA to start his own olive oil business.
Ryan has a keen interest in food and cooking and has gifted his own pressed olive oil to his friends. He is also interested in wine-making. This is the perfect opportunity for him to work with something he loves while escaping his monotonous schedule.
Seacrest might have found the show’s schedule hectic, and he often had to travel to audition cities for American Idol.
Between all these travelings and juggling shows, it must be hard to find rest, and it’s commendable to want a break or some family time. As an assurance, he also said that he looks forward to returning as a guest host.
Are Kelly and Ryan Still Friends?
Ryan leaving the ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan’ show caused no rift between the two friends. Ryan even called Kelly his work wife in his Instagram post. Kelly also supported his decision and posted on her own Instagram captioning, “When your friends become work mates become family.”
Kelly and Ryan have been friends for two decades and will continue to be friends. Kelly is perfectly supportive of Ryan’s decision. While there have been rumors that the two hosts had friction, Ripa’s representative denied any such thing and confirmed that they are friends. Kelly called Ryan the ‘funcle’ to her kids, showing how close they are.
Who Is Replacing Ryan Seacrest on Live with Kelly and Ryan?
As Ryan leaves the Live, everyone wants to know who is replacing him. The answer is Kelly’s husband, Mark Consuelos. Mark confirmed his taking over on February 16 with a post captioned:
“Congrats on your next chapter @ryanseacrest. I love you like a brother. I know I have some big shoes to fill … well, actually they’re only a size 9, but you know what I mean. @kellyripa my ride or die. This is going to be amazing! I can’t believe after all these years of listening to you talk for free, I found a way to get paid for it. Is this a great country or what?”
Mark Consuelos
There have been rumors that ABC was eager to replace Ryan with Consuelos, and his parting wasn’t exactly that tearful. Mark and Kelly have the capacity to pull in viewers’ curiosity, and ABC would definitely want to capitalize on that. The audience loved their chemistry whenever Mark would stand in during Ryan’s absence.
Ryan leaving the ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan’ show might have been a bitter-sweet matter, but I hope Mark does a good job of carrying the show forward with a refreshing new flavor.