Is Seacrest out for good? Ryan Seacrest addressed rumors that he’ll host an American Idol reboot during the Monday, May 8, episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan.
In response to reports that the TV personality, 42, might star on a revival of the beloved singing competition series, Seacrest’s Live cohost Kelly Ripa voiced her full support. “I think this has to happen,” she said. “I went into seclusion when American Idol was canceled. Are you going to host it? Please tell me yes.”
Despite Ripa’s enthusiasm, Seacrest isn’t sure he is ready to juggle his new gig on Live with potential duties on Idol. “No, I don’t know about that part yet,” the E! News alum said. “We haven’t gotten that far. This was news to me last week. I had said at the end of the series, ‘Goodbye for now,’ hoping somewhere it would come back.”
As previously reported by TMZ, ABC has signed a deal to revive AI in March 2018. According to the site, the deal was officially closed on Friday, May 5, after several networks made offers to bring the singing competition back. ABC and production companies FremantleMedia and Core Media Group reportedly want Seacrest to return as the host of the iconic series, which originally aired on Fox for 15 seasons from 2002 until 2016.
And Ripa, 46, definitely wants her new coworker to accept the reported offer. “I have to tell you, typically I only save prayers for world peace or people who are very sick and stuff like that, but I am gonna start a prayer circle,” she quipped. “I was, like, your original fan.”
However, the radio host seems uneasy about the heavy workload of hosting two different TV shows. “I don’t know if I can host it,” Seacrest admitted. “Do you know the preparation I have to do for [Live] every night?”
But Ripa is still determined to see her pal take the AI stage once again. “Yes, you can, you can! I know that you’re busy in the mornings, I get it. I understand it’s hard doing double duty — you’ve got the radio show, you’ve got this. But your nights are free, you don’t have that much to do. You can do this!” she told Seacrest. “You can disconnect for that! On the days where it is the day after, I will totally — you won’t even have to think, I will do it all!”
A source previously told Us Weekly that Seacrest’s No. 1 priority is Live, in addition to his work with iHeartRadio and his syndicated radio show. “That said, Ryan has a lot of affection for Idol given the significance to his career, and it taps into the things he loves — a live show, pop music, discovering new talent, etc.,” the insider explained. “There have been no formal discussions with Ryan about his involvement but he may well be open to it … in the right capacity and if it fits in with his other commitments.”
