Why Ryan Seacrest Is Still Appearing On Live! After His Exit
Over the years, "Live!" has seen several people take over the legendary Regis Philbin's spot. From Michael Strahan to Ryan Seacrest, Kelly Ripa has worked with several other television personalities on the popular morning series. After Strahan's controversial exit, the show eventually named Seacrest as his replacement in 2017. Seacrest joined the series after Ripa was left without a co-host for a year.
During their time together, Ripa and Seacrest enjoyed plenty of memorable moments together. But after six years working alongside each other, Seacrest opted to leave. The star shared an Instagram post in February to inform fans that he was leaving. "I'll be transitioning out of Live this Spring to shoot the 21st season of American Idol in LA, continue my radio show on KIIS-FM and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve, and focus my summer on opening three more Ryan Seacrest Foundation Studios in pediatric hospitals across the country," he explained in the caption, making sure to add that he'd miss his "work wife."
In April, Ripa and Seacrest hosted his last episode, and it proved to be super emotional. "This has been without question the best six years of my life, and although we have been friends for decades, I feel like I've gained through this process a younger brother slash oldest son — that's how I feel about you. It's the weirdest thing," Ripa said on the series. But in true Seacrest fashion, his exit from the show didn't last for very long at all.
We can't ever count Ryan Seacrest out
Ryan Seacrest didn't stay away from his post at "Live! with Kelly and Mark" for too long — and honestly, are we even surprised? After the show named Mark Consuelos as Seacrest's replacement in February, Seacrest left the show in April, only to return for some episodes in June. According to Entertainment Weekly, Kelly Ripa and Consuelos are taking a much-deserved vacation this summer, and the show has seen Seacrest fill in for Ripa alongside Consuelos. According to the outlet, Seacrest pre-taped the shows that are airing over the summer, though they appear to live up to the show's title and be "live" as they feature the correct date and never-before-seen footage.
And Seacrest won't be the only one to fill his former seat. Several other big names are also slated to fill in for the famous married couple, including Bravo boss (and Ripa's good friend) Andy Cohen. Maria Menounos and Anderson Cooper also filled in on these pre-recorded segments. Fans will see Ripa at one point this summer — on the show's July 4 episode, which features guest Nina Dobrev and a performance by Jake Shears.
Ripa has shared some photos from her trip. In June, the talk show host posted a photo of herself and her husband at an undisclosed location. "Spotted: woman accidentally caught on camera during a family vacation while photographing husband," she wrote in the caption. We hope they enjoy a relaxing trip!