Ryan Seacrest Reveals What He’ll Miss Most About Co-Hosting ‘Live’ With Kelly Ripa

Ryan Seacrest is preparing to say goodbye to Live with Kelly and Ryan by looking back on his six years co-hosting alongside Kelly Ripa. As he gets closer to his final day on the talk show, Seacrest told E! News that the biggest thing he’ll miss when he steps back is the Live team he’s grown to love so much. 

“I’ve worked on a lot of different shows,” he told the outlet Thursday, “it’s a unique environment here where many people have been here a long time, they’ve raised their kids whilst being on this show.” Seacrest continued of his longtime co-host, “And I’ll miss being next to Kelly every single day. We’re extremely close, we’re very good friends and we’ll remain good friends, but it’s like 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.”

Seacrest’s role will be filled by Ripa’s husband Mark Consuelos, although the American Idol host said the door is open for him to return to the series “now and then.” The show will be officially rebranded as Live with Kelly & Mark when Consuelos takes over. It was on Feb. 16 that Seacrest announced he would be saying goodbye to the ABC show in order to move back to the west coast full-time and focus on his other hosting roles.

“Working alongside Kelly over the past six years has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career,” he said in a statement about his exit from the show. “She has been an amazing partner, friend, and confidant, and although we will always be a part of each other’s lives, I will miss our mornings together.”

“I also want to thank [executive producer] Michael Gelman and the entire staff and crew – we’ve made memories to last a lifetime, met some of the most incredible people and had the warmest welcome into the homes of so many viewers across America,” he continued. “It’s been a memorable ride and now I’m excited to pass the baton to Kelly’s ‘real’ husband, Mark.”

Ripa said of Seacrest’s departure at the time, “I’m so grateful to have spent the last six years beside my dear friend of too many decades to count and will miss starting my days with Ryan. Ryan’s energy, passion and love for entertainment is one-of-a-kind.” Gelman added, “Goodbyes are never easy, but we look forward to welcoming Ryan back regularly with open arms. As a fan-favorite guest host for years, Mark is no stranger to the Live family. Having him join the show is so special for us and we’re sure that viewers will feel the same.”