NEW YORK — Monday marked a new era for ABC’s “Live,” with Mark Consuelos debuting as wife Kelly Ripa’s full-time co-host.
Now titled “Live with Kelly and Mark,” the weekday morning talk show bid farewell last week to Ryan Seacrest, who had starred with Ripa since 2017.
“I just want to say a quick thank you for trusting me to be your co-pilot,” Consuelos told Ripa at the top of the episode. “I really appreciate it.”
Consuelos married Ripa, his former “All My Children” co-star, in 1996. He had frequently filled in as a guest host on “Live” before he was announced in February to be Seacrest’s permanent replacement.
Monday’s show featured a video montage of Consuelos’ many appearances on “Live,” which Ripa began hosting in 2001. Ripa originally starred alongside the late Regis Philbin and later Michael Strahan before Seacrest took over.
In February, Seacrest announced his plans to exit the New York-set “Live” once “American Idol,” which he hosts, started airing its live episodes in Los Angeles this spring.
“It was a tough, tough decision,” Seacrest said at the time. “Last year, we spoke and I made the decision to make this my last season as co-host with Kel here on ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan,’ which is bittersweet.”
The 48-year-old Seacrest, who also hosts the syndicated radio shows “On Air with Ryan Seacrest” and “American Top 40,” said he plans to return to “Live” as a guest host in the future.
On his final episode Friday, Seacrest hugged Ripa and said, “Thank you for the greatest six years.”
Ripa and Consuelos, both 52, have three kids together.
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