Kelly Ripa Hopes ‘Nothing Will Change’ When Ryan Seacrest Exits Live

Kelly Ripa says things won’t change much once Ryan Seacrest is no longer her co-host. Ripa, her husband Mark Consuelos, and Seacrest hit the red carpet together at the Dolby Theatre in March for the 2023 Oscars, a month after the American Idol host announced he would be departing Live With Kelly and Ryan in April. “It’s bittersweet,” Seacrest told host Vanessa Hudgens during ABC’s red carpet show. “We have such a great relationship and friendship and working relationship.”

Consuelos, Ripa’s husband of 26 years, will be taking Seacrest’s spot. “Mark is going to take over,” Seacrest added. “And he and I have the same kind of relationship. So it’s going to be an exciting last few weeks. And a lot to come.” The former soap star chimed in, “You’re not done yet,” to which Seacrest noted, “I’m not done yet.”

Seacrest says nothing will change in her relationship with Seacrest, as the two are longtime friends. “We keep saying, nothing will really change between the three of us,” Ripa shared. “It’s just Ryan will get to have his coffee later.” Consuelos, however, is thrilled for the new role. “I am so excited,” Consuleos said. “I start the show on April 17th, which is a Monday. I couldn’t be more honored and excited.”

Seacrest revealed that there are things he is not necessarily eager to walk away from. “I’ll miss being next to Kelly every single day,” he revealed during an episode of E! News. “We’re extremely close, we’re very good friends, we’ll remain good friends. But there’s that hour of communicating with somebody. You become super excited about doing it. You laugh, and then, of course, you can’t remember what you said to each other. So I’ll miss that part.”

As for what’s next, Seacrest has a lot of jobs to turn his attention to. He revealed in an Instagram post that he will focus on hosting American Idol, his KIIS-FM radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest, and the annual Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve broadcast. He also has his charity, Ryan Seacrest Foundation Studios