Ryan Seacrest Had Been Contemplating Leaving 'Live With Kelly and Ryan' for Years, Source Says
etonline.comhe would be stepping down as Kelly Ripa's co-host. While the decision might feel sudden to fans, the 48-year-old had actually been thinking about making the change for years.«Ryan has been contemplating leaving the show for years and has been very conflicted,» a source tells ET. «He truly loves working with Kelly and the crew.
However, with 's upcoming season filming in Los Angeles and other opportunities, he felt leaving the show was the right thing to do.»The source adds the the burnout and exhaustion that Seacrest experienced over the pandemic, put being bi-costal in perspective.
Ultimately, he decided to focus on his West Coast opportunities. However, Seacrest knows that the show will be in good hands, as Ripa's husband, Mark Consuelos, fills his spot. «In 2020, Ryan suffered from exhaustion and was burnt out and he's trying to avoid that from happening again,» the source adds. «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.»On Thursday's show, the host shared the news exclusively with the audience.
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