Ryan Seacrest Misses Third-Straight ‘Live With Kelly and Ryan’ Episode, Anderson Cooper Fills In

Live with Kelly and Ryan viewers were surprised to see that co-host Ryan Seacrest missed out on his third straight day of taping for the morning show on Wednesday. Seacrest previously missed Monday and Tuesday’s episodes of the morning program, with Bravo’s Andy Cohen filling in for him. For Wednesday’s episode, Anderson Cooper filled in for Seacrest, who is likely busy filming American Idol at the moment.

On Wednesday, the official Live with Kelly and Ryan Instagram account posted a behind-the-scenes video that showcased how Cooper stepped in for Seacrest during the episode. In the clip, co-host Kelly Ripa and Cooper can be seen heading out onto the stage together. The video also showcases that everyone on the crew is wearing masks to adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines. At one point in the clip, Ripa introduces Cooper to a member of the crew by jokingly saying, “That’s Anderson Cooper; national treasure, American hero.” It’s unclear why Cooper had to fill in for Seacrest during the episode. But, fans weren’t complaining too much about seeing the CNN anchor on the daytime series, as many flocked to the comments section of the Instagram post to share how much they love seeing Ripa and Cooper’s dynamic. One fan wrote, “I Love Anderson Cooper [heart eye emoji].. He seems to have become so much more open and happy since having a baby.. I think that has fulfilled his life beyond… please have him on more often.. btw I like Ryan too.”

There has been a ton of speculation regarding Seacrest’s absence from Live with Kelly and Ryan over the past couple of days. But, based on his social media activity, he may be simply taking some time off from the show to focus on his American Idol hosting duties. Earlier this week, he posted a photo on Instagram that showcased him posing on a rooftop with the American Idol logo on it. He captioned the daytime snap by joking, “Tried to catch the sunrise but I think it overslept.”

Seacrest isn’t the only one who has missed a taping of Live with Kelly and Ryan recently. On Dec. 3, Ripa was absent from the show as she was holding a special reunion celebration for her husband, Mark Consuelos, who returned from filming Riverdale in Vancouver, Canada. Tamron Hall filled in for her at the time.