Ryan Seacrest announced his departure from “Live with Kelly and Ryan” during Thursday’s episode of the morning talk show. Kelly Ripa’s husband, Mark Consuelos, will take over as his permanent replacement.

Seacrest revealed that he and Ripa had discussed his departure for a while and that it was a tough decision. He is heading to the West Coast to host “American Idol” once it starts later this spring. He noted that he will return to guest host and fill in at times. Undoubtedly the back-and-forth commute from East Coast to West Coast allegedly may have taken a toll on Seacrest.

Ripa called Seacrest one of her best friends, and noted that he was only supposed to be a co-host for three years but ended up staying for six. She joked that her husband, Consuelos, would be taking over Seacrest’s torch in what she and Seacrest called the nation’s weirdest social experiment. Seacrest began co-hosting with Ripa in 2017 and called her his dream partner.

Ripa started her Live journey when she worked alongside Regis Philbin from 2001 to 2011. Michael Strahan was her co-host from 2012 to 2016. Consuelos has filled in for Seacrest several times. The “Riverdale” star and Ripa married in 1996. They met on the set of the daytime soap opera, “All My Children”. They have three children: Michael, Lola, and Joaquin.

Ripa gushed about Seacrest, calling him a close friend and stating that his star shines as brightly off-camera as it does on. She also noted that his impeccable reputation only matches his tremendous success and that everyone loves him, including their daily viewers. He will be missed. During a 2020 episode, Ripa joked with Consuelos, who was filling in for Seacrest, about how weird it was to see him at work after just seeing him at home. Let’s hope their marriage will survive! I digress.

What are your thoughts about Ryan Seacrest Leaving “Live With Kelly and Ryan”? It’s sad to see him move on, but I’m looking forward to the handsome Mark Consuelos taking on co-host duties. Leave me a comment below!