ABC Entertainment

Ryan Seacrest Gives Update on Friendship With Kelly Ripa Two Years After Leaving ‘Live’

Originally posted on TV Insider | Last updated Apr 29, 2025 2:45 PM ET

Ryan Seacrest has no bad blood for his former cohost. After leaving Live two years ago, the American Idol host opened up about where he stands with Kelly Ripa.

“I love that show,” Seacrest told E! News after the American Idol’s Top 14 broadcast on April 28. “I had a blast doing it. Kelly and I are still the closest friends, Mark [Consuelos] too.” Consuelos is Ripa’s husband, who took over hosting duties for Ryan Seacrest when he left Live in 2023. The show was rebranded to Live With Kelly And Mark. Before Consuelos and Seacrest, Kelly hosted with Regis Philbin and Michael Strahan.

He shared that the couple invited him to appear on the talk show “in a couple of weeks.” “So, I will be there. The trifecta, we’ll be on the set. I can’t wait to see them,” he said.

Seacrest held the role of Live cohost for six years with Ripa. He announced his departure in February 2023 and his last Live show was on April 14. Before his departure, the Wheel of Fortune host admitted that leaving Ripa would be the hardest part of quitting the talk show.

“I’ll miss being next to Kelly every single day,” he told the publication in 2023. “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.”

The talk show films in New York. With Ryan Seacrest filming Idol in Los Angeles, as well as his radio show, the traveling was too much. He shared in his goodbye post that he was only supposed to host the show for three years, but he loved it so much that he stayed for six.

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“I’m going to miss my work wife and all the laughter we share,” Seacrest wrote.

“When I signed on to host Live in 2017 it was meant to be for 3 years, but I loved the job and working with Kelly so much that I extended my time and last year I made the decision to stay on for one more final season.”

Live With Kelly and Mark, Weekdays, 9 a.m., ABC

This article first appeared on TV Insider and was syndicated with permission.

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