Ryan Seacrest has officially stepped away from the talk show previously known as Live with Kelly and Ryan, and neither he nor Kelly Ripa wasted any time moving forward. After an emotional farewell episode April 14 that was filled with memories, tears and, of course, that clip of Seacrest falling out of his chair, Ripa’s husband Mark Consuelos took the reins to start this week, with the premiere of Live with Kelly and Mark. But don’t think the former host was hanging around New York for sentimental reasons; Seacrest is already back in Los Angeles, enjoying the sun and his California chickens.
While the American Idol host didn’t say too much about his reasons for leaving the daytime talk show after six years — other than to point out he’d only ever planned to stay for a few years — it’s likely that being bicoastal was taking a toll, as the host was missing an increasing number of episodes in an effort to avoid exhaustion. Ryan Seacrest seemed anything but exhausted, when he posted a photo of himself whipping up a “simple Sunday brunch” on Instagram:
It seems safe to assume that his “California chickens” are to thank for those delicious-looking fried eggs that he served up with some salsa. Ryan Seacrest has apparently been doing better about not overworking — with some help from his girlfriend — but even without Live with Kelly and Ryan to worry about anymore, he’s still got plenty on his plate.
He’s set to open three new locations of Ryan Seacrest Foundation Studios in pediatric hospitals this summer, and he’ll continue to appear on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, as well as his radio show. Then, of course, there’s American Idol, but that certainly didn’t seem to be a source of stress, as he celebrated the singing competition’s Hawaii episodes with some serene photos of a beachy sunrise:
It’s certainly a time of transition for Ryan Seacrest, who told Kelly Ripa on their final episode of Live! that he’d miss her the second they said goodbye, as well as his former co-host, who had her own inelegant message for him that day. However, Ripa was not surprisingly as peppy as ever, as Mark Consuelos took the chair next to her for the debut of Live with Kelly and Mark. Because her husband had guest-hosted a number of times in Seacrest’s absence, it seems Ripa was correct in thinking the changeover would go seamlessly.
While fans may be sad that they won’t get Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest’s fun on-air chemistry anymore, it looks like both of them are happily moving forward from their respective coasts. Check your local listings to see how to watch Ripa and her husband in syndication, and you can catch Seacrest hosting American Idol on Sunday and Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Be sure to also check out our 2023 TV schedule to see all of the premieres coming soon to both TV and streaming.
