Seacrest Leaving ‘Live With Kelly & Him’

• Ryan Seacrest announced Thursday morning that he’s stepping down as co-host of Live With Kelly and Ryan after six years. His co-host Kelly Ripa concurrently announced that her husband, actor Mark Consuelos will succeed Seacrest on the rebranded Live With Kelly and Mark.

While no exact departure date has been announced, Variety notes that Seacrest plans to relocate back to Los Angeles in the spring to host the the American Idol live shows. And yes, Seacrest will continue to anchor his morning radio show on flagship KIIS-FM/Los Angeles, also syndicated by Premiere Networks.

In a statement, Seacrest said, “Working alongside Kelly over the past six years has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career. 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. I also want to thank [Executive Producer] Michael Gelman and the entire staff and crew — we’ve made memories to last a lifetime, met some of the most incredible people and had the warmest welcome into the homes of so many viewers across America. It’s been a memorable ride and now I’m excited to pass the baton to Kelly’s ‘real’ husband, Mark.”

Ripa has hosted Live since 2001, first with Regis Philbin and later, with Michael Strahan, interspersed with periods of solo hosting and working with a rotating stable of guest hosts. Seacrest joined her as co-host in 2016, originally signing on for a three-year contract, but ultimately staying on for the past six years. Ripa said, “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.” Watch Seacrest and Ripa announce his departure in the video posted to kellyandryan.com.