Since surprising viewers with the announcement that he will be leaving Live with Kelly and Ryan, Ryan Seacrest has been receiving nothing but well wishes and congratulations from fans and fellow talk show hosts alike. His replacement Mark Consuelos even already got Seacrest to tear up on camera. As emotional as his departure from the daytime talk show has been, a Live with Kelly and Ryan insider gave some alleged details about the TV personality’s reason for leaving.
The source alleged everyone behind the scenes of the daytime talk show had known about the American Idol host’s dilemma. They went as far as to claim Seacrest’s exit from the show was years in the making, according to ET. The morning show insider said this about the TV personality’s alleged conflict:
Ryan has been contemplating leaving the show for years and has been very conflicted. He truly loves working with Kelly and the Live crew. However, with American Idol’s upcoming season filming in Los Angeles and other opportunities, he felt leaving the show was the right thing to do
Working on the morning talk show, other opportunities were becoming a tricky balance for the outgoing Live with Kelly and Ryan co-host. Along with Live and American Idol, Seacrest a myriad of other gigs too, including ABC’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, hosting his popular daily syndication radio show, and running a production company. That’s a lot of work for one guy, so it makes sense that this might be why he decided to step away from Live.
The inside source alleged the bi-coastal wear-and-tear was getting to Seacrest. They even reportedly brought up his 2020 break from multiple gigs as the alleged reason for him finally leaving the weekday morning show. He was allegedly seeing the signs of burnout again. The insider allegedly said to the entertainment news program:
In 2020, Ryan suffered from exhaustion and was burnt out and he’s trying to avoid that from happening again. Choosing Mark as Kelly’s new co-host was easy. The network and Kelly wanted to avoid her and a new co-host not hitting it off. Mark and Kelly have hosted before, and it’s always gone well with fan reaction.
It seemed like the transition is going well for Ryan Seacrest, and there’s nothing but love between him and Kelly Ripa’s husband and soon-to-be co-host. Of course, Mark Consuelos becoming the newest Live co-host is a natural fit as he’s made numerous appearances on the show since his wife became the host in 2001. Oftentimes, the Riverdale alum would sit in as a substitute host on the days Seacrest had other commitments.
Seacrest has been slowly scaling back on his work commitments in recent years. His 2020 health scare not only alarmed fans but him as well. The moment led to Seacrest leaving behind his yearly coverage of red-carpet events for E!. He seemingly kept his promise by spending the 2021 holiday season with his family. More recently, the 48-year-old TV host has been nurturing his relationship with model Aubrey Paige, where marriage and kids aren’t the focus.
Fans won’t have to worry about saying goodbye to Ryan Seacrest anytime soon as he will continue to co-host Live with Ryan and Kelly until the current season ends. Of course, viewers will continue to see Seacrest once his Live tenure is over through the upcoming season of American Idol. He also has other TV projects in the works. To keep up with the TV host’s appearances, check out our 2023 TV schedule to find out when those shows premiere.