Kelly Ripa’s Dwell co-host is altering — once more.
Ryan Seacrest introduced on Thursday that he’ll be leaving the nationally syndicated discuss present after this season. His everlasting substitute is a well-known face to viewers: Mark Consuelos, Ripa’s husband of 26 years and a frequent present sub.
Seacrest, who’s based mostly in Los Angeles, known as it a “powerful” choice to depart the present he joined in 2017. He mentioned working alongside Ripa,” whom he known as “a tremendous accomplice, good friend and confidant,” has been “a dream job and one of many highlights of my profession.” Nevertheless, he is “excited to cross the baton to Kelly’s actual husband, Mark.”
Ripa and Consuelos confirmed a lot of love for Seacrest, who they mentioned has change into “household” throughout his run. They’ve all vacationed collectively in spite of everything. In the meantime, Ripa joked about coming into the “contractual obligation section of” her relationship with Consuelos because the present’s new co-hosts.
Seacrest is predicted to depart this spring as Season 35 winds down and Consuelos will fill the seat as Season 36 kicks off, sometimes in September. This looks like will probably be a simple transition, particularly to some others in present historical past. Let’s look again on the evolution of Dwell co-hosts — the allies and the adversaries — since its inception in 1983.
Regis Philbin & Kathie Lee Gifford (Dwell with Regis and Kathie Lee)
Dwell truly started as The Morning Present in 1983. It was native, in New York, and Philbin co-hosted with Cyndy Garvey, whom he beforehand labored with on A.M. Los Angeles. She departed in 1984, and Ann Abernathy was her substitute. The longer term Kathie Lee Gifford, who then glided by Kathie Lee Johnson, grew to become the substitute for the substitute in 1985 — and the present took off in its market. It made its nationwide syndication debut on September 5, 1988 — with the famous title change to Dwell with Regis and Kathie Lee.
The co-hosts had a pleasant relationship — she famously known as him “Reege” — and a husband and spouse form of banter. He mentioned in 1988, that all the things on TV on the time appeared “written or over-rehearsed” and there was no person chatting about “the smaller issues in life that everyone goes via, like visits out of your mother-in-law or the youngsters bringing residence stray cats.”
The pair labored collectively till Gifford departed the present in 2000 — and so they had a long-lasting friendship after. Gifford informed AARP the Journal in 2019, “I knew it was the start of one thing enormous as a result of I met my doppelgänger once I met Regis. I met my artistic equal.” They weathered so much collectively too as a result of Gifford grew to become a tabloid goal and noticed a whole lot of gossip about her and her marriage to Frank Gifford, who she mentioned “I do” to in 1986, smeared round.
When Gifford left the In the present day present in 2019, Philbin was a shock visitor and informed her on-air, “Kathie Lee … the perfect a part of my life, my TV life, was within the 15 years I spent with you from 1985 to 2000. We stayed mates via the complete sport, and it was a whole lot of enjoyable.”
Gifford noticed Philbin simply previous to his loss of life and informed In the present day in 2020, “In all of the years collectively we by no means had one cross phrase. We had the identical humorousness, and we simply took off like a rocket … we simply needed to take a seat there and have enjoyable collectively.”
Regis Philbin & Kelly Ripa (Dwell with Regis and Kelly)
After Gifford’s departure, Philbin hosted solo as a seek for a substitute was underway. He gained his first daytime Emmy for his work as a solo host. (The identical yr, he additionally gained for Excellent Sport Present Host for Who Needs to Be a Millionaire.) But it surely was time to choose a accomplice and a plucky one who stole the highlight was cleaning soap opera star Ripa, who had an enormous fandom on All My Youngsters for her love story along with her real-life husband, Consuelos. Throughout considered one of her on-air auditions in 2000, a psychic rightly predicted Ripa was pregnant dwell on air — she admitted she secretly was — and he or she appeared like a lock after that.
Ripa, who was formally employed in 2001, breathed new life into the present — introducing a youthful viewers to daytime TV — and appeared to go alongside taking part in Philbin’s foil. He’d be exasperated by his younger co-star tales, at instances, and would even make faces, however it appeared playful sufficient.
Ripa mentioned on the time that Philbin’s model was to maintain all their exchanges on the air to maintain their dialog recent. Nevertheless, she later received candid, together with in her 2022 ebook Dwell Wire, that she did not really feel like he needed right here there as a co-host. She claimed he referred to her as “it” to her face, and complained to higher-ups that he did not need her bringing an entourage to the set (of 1 hair and one make-up particular person, which is not actually an entourage). There was additionally a to-do over her title having to be in a smaller font within the present emblem and supplies. Nonetheless, they had been well-liked for viewers and gained Emmys collectively — for Excellent Speak Present Host — in 2011 and 2012.
Ripa informed Yahoo in September it was “an ideal privilege” to have labored alongside the TV icon, however admitted “it was not a simple working relationship” as a result of he felt she was “pressured upon” him as a co-host.
Philbin left Dwell in November 2011, after marking 10 years as co-hosts. When he made his retirement announcement on-air, he famously did so with out giving Ripa a head’s up. Her response was the actual deal.
Within the years after, they did not have the enduring friendship that he had with Gifford. Whereas he returned to the present, a story, in Ripa’s phrases, that she “deserted our friendship” developed within the media. It was propelled by Philbin himself in interviews — like when he mentioned in 2015, “I do not see her” anymore when Ripa claimed she truly noticed him in the future earlier and so they spoke. In 2017, he mentioned Ripa received very offended once I left.” She mentioned she did not appropriate the report on the time, doing so later in her ebook.
“I simply discover it baffling,” she informed Yahoo. “I imply all of us work with a lot of individuals and a few individuals we’ve got friendships with outdoors of the workplace and a few individuals we do not and that is OK. However to pin the duty of that on one particular person?”
When Ripa’s ebook got here out, Gifford defended Philbin, who had died two years earlier, and mentioned she’d by no means learn it.
Kelly Ripa & Michael Strahan (Dwell with Kelly and Michael)
After Philbin’s exit, Ripa additionally had a interval the place she hosted the present herself whereas doing one other massive seek for a substitute. Strahan, who retired from the New York Giants in 2007 and transitioned into broadcasting, landed the gig in September 2012.
The pair had chemistry, they received good rankings — and, sure, extra Emmys. They gained for Excellent Leisure Speak Present Host in 2015 and 2016.
In late April 2016, issues went sideways when Strahan introduced on-air — on a day that Ripa was off — that he can be leaving the present to host Good Morning America on the identical community. Ripa was reportedly “blindsided” by the information and abruptly took just a few further days off work to course of it. She returned, addressing Strahan’s departure candidly, explaining the need of “communication, consideration and, most significantly, respect within the office.” His exit, which was to be months down the road, was moved as much as Could 13.
In 2020, Strahan opened up about his “mishandled” departure. He made it clear Dwell wasn’t his dream job, saying he did not know he was employed to be “a sidekick.” Nevertheless, “I did not get up and say, ‘I desire a job at GMA. I used to be requested to do it by the individuals who run the community. It was actually not a selection. It was a request.” He mentioned it “was handled as if I … walked in and mentioned, ‘I am leaving.’ That half was completely misconstrued, mishandled in each means. Individuals who ought to have dealt with it higher have all apologized, however a whole lot of the injury had already been accomplished. For me, it was like: Transfer on. Success is the perfect factor. Simply carry on shifting.” As for Ripa, he mentioned he wasn’t holding a grudge, “Folks suppose, ‘Oh, he hates her’ — I do not hate her. I do respect her for what she will do at her job. I can not say sufficient about how good she is at her job.”
That very same yr, Ripa mentioned, “I did not kick up a fuss; it wasn’t a giant factor; I used to be identical to, I am not doing this. If I am unfit of a dialogue, if I am unfit of you working this dialog by me — it was outrageous.”
Ripa didn’t point out Strahan in her ebook, which spoke volumes.
Kelly Ripa & Ryan Seacrest (Dwell with Kelly and Ryan)
Ripa once more did the job solo till her substitute was introduced, as Seacrest, in Could 2017.
Whereas Seacrest has had no scarcity of jobs — and often many without delay — he initially reached out to Ripa, a good friend, about working collectively when Philbin introduced his retirement. It clearly did not work then — with Strahan grabbing the gig — however they received a second probability just a few years later.
Seacrest is clearly no novice and slipped proper into the function. Their on-screen relationship has all the time been pleasant and respectful. It carried over off-camera with the pair vacationing along with their companions and doing issues when the cameras weren’t rolling, particularly as a result of Seacrest relocated to New York for the job.
“We have identified one another for over 20 years and had been trying to work collectively for all of these 20 years,” Ripa informed Yahoo. “We’re very comparable in the way in which we do issues. We’re household individuals. We’re shut with our dad and mom. We grew up not in present enterprise households… When the chance arose and Ryan was out there, it appeared like a no brainer.”
In 2020, Seacrest had a well being scare that resulted in him deciding to “decelerate” amid all his jobs, additionally together with internet hosting American Idol. And whereas he took it down a notch after — nonetheless internet hosting and producing different initiatives — he introduced on Feb. 16, 2023 that he determined final yr that this present can be his final.
After saying his spring departure on air Thursday, he posted a candy tribute to Ripa, saying he was going to “miss my work spouse and all of the laughter we share.”
“After I signed on to host Dwell in 2017 it was meant to be for 3 years, however I beloved the job and dealing with Kelly a lot that I prolonged my time and final yr I made the choice to remain on for yet another last season,” he mentioned. “I have been grateful to have the ability to share a cup of espresso with our viewers on a regular basis, among the finest components of the gig.” He added that he regarded ahead to coming again to visitor host and gave “my brother Mark” the OK “to transform my dressing room.”
Ripa mentioned she was “so grateful to have spent the final six years beside my expensive good friend of too many a long time to depend and can miss beginning my days with Ryan. Ryan’s vitality, ardour and love for leisure is considered one of a form.”
The pair gained the Emmy for Excellent Leisure Speak Present Host in 2019. Their present has been the top-rated daytime discuss present within the girls ages 25 to 54 class for greater than a yr.
Kelly Ripa & Mark Consuelos (Dwell with Kelly and Mark)
Consuelos’s hubby, and former cleaning soap co-star has lengthy occupied the co-host seat. He is crammed in not simply throughout the pandemic, however over time when Ripa’s co-host was out and he wasn’t away capturing Riverdale or his appearing initiatives.
The pair has tried-and-true chemistry, which we have seen, and no scarcity of humorous tales to inform about household.
Whereas their three children are all grown up — they’re on-off empty nesters — they nonetheless have hilarious tales of their interactions and awkward moments. Count on some thirsty moments between the couple as properly.
Once we spoke to Ripa final yr, she mentioned whereas it was “the privilege of my life to host Dwell,” she had been giving thought to retiring from the morning present, which she additionally wrote about in her ebook. She mentioned it might be good to assist somebody new into the job, “as a result of it’s particular,” after which help that particular person as they “navigate the pitfalls of the highlight,” which she may have used extra assist with when she began.
Nevertheless, that is off the desk now that she will share the job along with her husband, who she informed us “needed to make a whole lot of sacrifices” as she hosted Dwell for the final 22 years and he took appearing initiatives elsewhere, together with residing in different nations at instances.
Consuelos is predicted to completely take the seat in September when the brand new season begins.
