It has officially been just over two years since Ryan Seacrest left his gig as co-host of LIVE with Kelly & Ryan, which has now rebranded into LIVE with Kelly & Mark.
The American Idol host hosted alongside Kelly Ripa for six years, after Michael Strahan’s tense departure from the show, which itself came after inaugural host Regis Philbin, who passed away in 2020, retired in 2011.
Since then, Kelly has been joined by her husband Mark Consuelos, while the veteran radio personality has moved back to Los Angeles, and started hosting Wheel of Fortune in place of Pat Sajak.
© GettyStill, despite his departure and the distance between him and Kelly, he maintains when it comes to their friendship, that’s still intact.
Speaking with E! News during the latest broadcast of American Idol, he gushed: “I love that show,” and maintained: “I had a blast doing it. Kelly and I are still the closest friends, Mark too.”
Plus, he teased that fans will get to see him back in his old seat — though the show has moved to a new set — in no time.
© Getty Images“Mark and Kelly have invited me to come on in a couple weeks,” he shared, adding: “So, I will be there. The trifecta, we’ll be on the set. I can’t wait to see them.”
One day before Ryan’s last day on the show back in April of 2023, in honor of his departure, he hosted a special farewell dinner for much of the LIVE crew.
© ABCAt the time, the LIVE official Instagram account shared a glimpse into the night, including clips from Ryan’s emotional speech. “There really is no other place in our business like the LIVE show,” he said, adding: “I wanted us to get together and enjoy something that I like a lot,” and noted: “Which is great food.”
He continued: “Everybody for the last couple of weeks has been asking me, ‘What are you gonna miss?'” and went on to list some of the things, which included sharing the bathroom “well, with everyone,” the Halloween show, for which he and Kelly have always gone all out, the Christmas show, and simply the feeling of walking out on stage. “It is a magical experience that I will remember forever,” he told the crowd.
© Disney via Getty ImagesFinally, addressing of course Kelly, plus his replacement, Mark, who were both visibly emotional, he said: “It’s wonderful to go through this process with somebody that I love so much,” adding: “And I can’t wait to watch [the show] — or tape, sleep in, and watch — probably that, but congratulations Mark.”
“I once again want to thank you for including me in this group. I was nervous when I started, and tonight I appreciate you with [this dinner,]” he concluded. After the clip was shared on social media, fans of the show were quick to praise Ryan, commenting: “Class act! You will be so missed! Good luck on all your endeavors!” and: “Class act. Hardest working man in the business,” as well as: “Such a sweet & classy idea! Thank you for posting this for us all to see.”
