Ryan Seacrest Leaving 'Live': See His Surprising Replacement

Ryan Seacrest is leaving Live with Kelly and Ryan. The longtime co-host of the long-running show announced his departure on Thursday (February 16), six years after joining Kelly Ripa for the iconic daytime talk show.

The iHeartRadio host first joined on to the show in 2017 for a three-year deal but has made the decision to not only hand over co-hosting duties after this season to someone new but to leave New York City and move back to west coast ahead of American Idol, per People.

While talking about his "bittersweet" choice to leave, he celebrated his time with Ripa and the "memorable ride" that has been his time on the show.

"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. "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 echoed this sentiment, calling Seacrest a "dear, dear friend" who she will miss working with.

"I can't thank you enough on all of our behalf," she told Seacrest on the show after his announcement. "There is nobody else like you. There is nobody who can really do what you do. I know you in real life as well as TV life. I say this about very few people: what you see is what you get. This is not an act, this is a good man. I am so endlessly impressed by you."

She added in a statement, "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."

So who is signing on to the show as his replacement? Ripa's own husband, actor Mark Consuelos, who Seacrest said he is "excited to pass the baton" to and who has guest hosted multiple times during Seacrest's tenure. Following Seacrest's departure, the show will rebrand as Live with Kelly and Mark.

"As a fan-favorite guest host for years, Mark is no stranger to the Live family," said executive producer Michael Gelman. "Having him join the show is so special for us and we're sure that viewers will feel the same."

Gelman added, "Goodbyes are never easy, but we look forward to welcoming Ryan back regularly with open arms."

Check out Seacrest's announcement in the video below.