Kelly Ripa’s husband, Mark Consuelos, will replace Ryan Seacrest
After six years of hosting Live with Kelly and Ryan—the beloved morning show with co-host Kelly Ripa—Ryan Seacrest is leaving the series. He announced his exit this morning on the air. “It’s been a memorable ride and now I’m excited to pass the baton to Kelly’s ‘real’ husband, Mark,” he said. Mark Consuelos, Ripa’s real-life husband, will replace Seacrest. The show will be rebranded, Live with Kelly and Mark.
Seacrest gushed over his work wife in a statement about the departure. “Working alongside Kelly over the past six years has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career,” he said. “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.”
Ripa did a fair amount of gushing herself. “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,” she said. “Ryan’s energy, passion and love for entertainment is one-of-a-kind.” Consuelos will be Ripa’s third co-host since Regis Philbin left the show in 2001. First was Michael Strahan who departed in 2016 to join the hosts of Good Morning America.
Fans of Ripa and Consuelos will no doubt be thrilled to be able to watch the duo on television together again. The couple met during Consuelos’ audition for All My Children in 1995. The two started a real-life romance even before their characters on the show started dating. PEOPLE has an amazing story full of throwback photos, if you want to reminisce.
Consuelos has stepped in as a co-host multiple times over the years, and fans always approved. “As a fan-favorite guest host for years, Mark is no stranger to the Live family,” executive producer Michael Gelman said in a statement. “Having him join the show is so special for us, and we’re sure that viewers will feel the same.”
