The countdown to Ryan Seacrest’s Live the output starts now.
ABC announced Monday that Seacrest will make his final appearance as host of Lives with Kelly and Ryan on Friday April 14. Then, on Monday, April 17, Mark Consuelos will make his debut as Kelly Ripa’s new co-anchor, at which point the morning show will be rebranded as Lives with Kelly and Mark.
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The previously announced transition, which NBC night court could have predicted, comes as Seacrest returns to the West Coast to host american idolLive shows from Los Angeles.
“Working alongside Kelly for the past six years has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career,” Seacrest said in February. “She has been an incredible partner, friend and confidante, and while 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 made memories to last a lifetime, met some of the most amazing people, and received the warmest welcome into the homes of so many viewers across America. It’s been a memorable journey and now I’m excited to hand over to Kelly’s ‘real’ husband, Mark.”
Added Ripa: “I am so grateful to have spent the last six years with my dear friend of too many decades to count and I will miss beginning my days with Ryan. Ryan’s energy, passion and love for entertainment is unique.”
Seacrest was announced as Ripa’s permanent co-host in May 2017. He replaced Michael Strahan, who made the rather abrupt transition from Live to Good morning america in 2016. Seacrest and Ripa’s morning show relationship would eventually serve as the inspiration for the ABC sitcom pilot work wifewhich received a pilot order in 2020 but did not go to series.
Ripa and Consuelos’ relationship dates back to the mid-90s, when they met on the set of the ABC series. All my kids. They married in 1996 and have three children together.
The real-life married played Pine Valley sweethearts Hayley Vaughn and Mateo Santos. they left AMC in 2002, by which time Ripa had already co-hosted for a year Live (in front of Regis Philbin). Over the years, Consuelos has filled in for Philbin, Strahan and Seacrest more than 130 times.
Are you going to miss Seacrest at the host’s desk? Eager for Consuelos’ formal debut? Sound off in Comments.
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