Everything Kelly Ripa, Ryan Seacrest and Mark Consuelos Have Said About ‘Live’ Shakeup: ‘It’s Bittersweet’

Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

Everything Kelly Ripa, Ryan Seacrest and Mark Consuelos Have Said About ‘Live’ Shakeup: 'It's Bittersweet'

Making a change. Kelly Ripa, Ryan Seacrest and Mark Consuelos have have been candid about the future of ABC's Live as the show prepares for some big shifts. In February 2023, Seacrest announced his exit from Live With Kelly and Ryan after six years of cohosting with Ripa. “Working alongside Kelly over the past six years has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career. She has been an amazing partner, friend, and confidant, and although we will always be a part of each other’s lives, I will miss our mornings together,” he said in a statement at the time. “I also want to thank Michael Gelman and the entire staff and crew — we’ve made memories to last a lifetime, met some of the most incredible people and had the warmest welcome into the homes of so many viewers across America. It’s been a memorable ride and now I’m excited to pass the baton to Kelly’s ‘real’ husband, Mark.” Ripa, who first appeared on the daytime talk show in 2001, praised the American Idol host for his professionalism over the years. She also confirmed that her husband, Consuelos, would be joining her after Seacrest's departure. "I can't thank you enough, [Ryan], on all of our behalf," she said during the live episode in February 2023. "There is nobody else like you. There is nobody who can really do what you do. I know you in real life as well as TV life. I say this about very few people: what you see is what you get. This is not an act, this is a good man. I am so endlessly impressed by you." [sendtonews type="float" key="oHiqcRlwB2-2828513-14453"] The CW star, for his part, noted that it wasn't difficult for him to sign on to the project, sharing on Live, "No, you know the thing was that [Kelly and I] did this before and [in] much more difficult circumstances. We worked together on a soap opera for seven years." Later that month, Ripa opened up about how the couple came to the decision to work together again. (The pair, who tied the knot in 1996, have collaborated on All My Children, Hope & Faith and Riverdale.) “Mark and I owe everything we have in our professional lives to ABC. We met there at the beginning of our careers and got married and had our kids while there,” the former soap opera actress, who shares three kids with her husband, exclusively told Us Weekly. “So many wonderful moments have happened while with ABC, so it only makes sense for us to come full circle and work together once again for the show that has given us so much joy and so many years of memories.” Seacrest is set to take his final bow in April 2023. Following his exit, Consuelos will take over and the show will be rebranded as Live With Kelly and Mark. Scroll on for everything the trio have said about the Live shakeup:

Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

Everything Kelly Ripa, Ryan Seacrest and Mark Consuelos Have Said About ‘Live’ Shakeup: 'It's Bittersweet'

Making a change. Kelly Ripa, Ryan Seacrest and Mark Consuelos have have been candid about the future of ABC's Live as the show prepares for some big shifts. In February 2023, Seacrest announced his exit from Live With Kelly and Ryan after six years of cohosting with Ripa. “Working alongside Kelly over the past six years has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career. She has been an amazing partner, friend, and confidant, and although we will always be a part of each other’s lives, I will miss our mornings together,” he said in a statement at the time. “I also want to thank Michael Gelman and the entire staff and crew — we’ve made memories to last a lifetime, met some of the most incredible people and had the warmest welcome into the homes of so many viewers across America. It’s been a memorable ride and now I’m excited to pass the baton to Kelly’s ‘real’ husband, Mark.” Ripa, who first appeared on the daytime talk show in 2001, praised the American Idol host for his professionalism over the years. She also confirmed that her husband, Consuelos, would be joining her after Seacrest's departure. "I can't thank you enough, [Ryan], on all of our behalf," she said during the live episode in February 2023. "There is nobody else like you. There is nobody who can really do what you do. I know you in real life as well as TV life. I say this about very few people: what you see is what you get. This is not an act, this is a good man. I am so endlessly impressed by you." [sendtonews type="float" key="oHiqcRlwB2-2828513-14453"] The CW star, for his part, noted that it wasn't difficult for him to sign on to the project, sharing on Live, "No, you know the thing was that [Kelly and I] did this before and [in] much more difficult circumstances. We worked together on a soap opera for seven years." Later that month, Ripa opened up about how the couple came to the decision to work together again. (The pair, who tied the knot in 1996, have collaborated on All My Children, Hope & Faith and Riverdale.) “Mark and I owe everything we have in our professional lives to ABC. We met there at the beginning of our careers and got married and had our kids while there,” the former soap opera actress, who shares three kids with her husband, exclusively told Us Weekly. “So many wonderful moments have happened while with ABC, so it only makes sense for us to come full circle and work together once again for the show that has given us so much joy and so many years of memories.” Seacrest is set to take his final bow in April 2023. Following his exit, Consuelos will take over and the show will be rebranded as Live With Kelly and Mark. Scroll on for everything the trio have said about the Live shakeup:

Credit: ABC Entertainment

February 2023

During a live taping, the media personality confirmed he would be moving on from the ABC show.

“Kelly and I have some news here. This is something that she and I have been talking about for a long time and it was a tough, tough decision. Last year, we spoke and I made the decision to make this my last season as cohost with Kelly here on Live ​With Kelly and Ryan, which is bittersweet,” he told the audience. 

Meanwhile, Ripa revealed what is next for Live after Seacrest's exit.

"We are so aware of the importance of continuity and consistency and, like, the familial vibe that we all have here," the New Jersey native explained. "It only makes sense to not just our viewing audience at home, but our audience here within our staff, our support system, our extended family, to bring in somebody that we know and love and who’s really always been here. The only person I can think of that is capable of, you know, holding your torch the way you have held it. And that would be, my husband, Mark Consuelos, in what Ryan and I are calling the nation’s weirdest social experiment.”

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

February 2023

"I’ll be transitioning out of Live this Spring to shoot the 21st season of American Idol in LA, continue my radio show on KIIS-FM and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve, and focus my summer on opening three more Ryan Seacrest Foundation Studios in pediatric hospitals across the country," the Georgia native wrote via Instagram. "I’m looking forward to coming back to guest host in the future and Kelly, I promise to forever share my food photos, chicken eggs, and olive oil with you. And congratulations to my brother Mark, feel free to remodel my dressing room!"

Consuelos, for his part, took to social media to wish his predecessor luck in the future. 

"Congrats on your next chapter @ryanseacrest. I love you like a brother," he captioned an Instagram post. "I know I have some big shoes to fill … well actually they’re only a size 9, but you know what I mean. @kellyripa my ride or die. This is going to be amazing! I can’t believe after all these years of listening to you talk for free, I found a way to get paid for it. Is this a great country or what? ❤️."

Credit: DAVID SWANSON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

February 2023

Consuelos and Ripa joked that their cohosting gig was a long time coming, telling Us, "We figured that since we started our careers together, we might as well finish them together. We figured the idea 'what could possibly go wrong?' is something we’d definitely like to explore. Now, we have the chance.”

Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

March 2023

During the ABC Countdown to the Oscars preshow, Seacrest reflected on his major life change.

“It's bittersweet. We have such a great relationship and friendship and working relationship,” he detailed. “And Mark is gonna take over and he and I have the same kind of relationship, so it's gonna be an exciting last few weeks. A lot to come.”

Meanwhile, Ripa said “nothing will really change” with Consuelos stepping into his new role.

Credit: Ashley Landis/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

March 2023

“The hundreds of hours I spent each year flying, it became a lot. It was longer than I anticipated, but it’s because of her and the great people here," Seacrest told Variety. “Over the last couple of years, I had said to Kelly, ‘This is not going to be something that’s right for me forever for all the obvious geographical reasons,’ and she understood it."

He continued: "I was little bit worried how she would react to that, but because we’re close and she gets my life, she understood. I said, ‘You and I will work together in tandem on when the timing is right for the show, when the timing is right to announce it and when the timing is right to collaborate on who that new person is going to be.’ And it worked out in the most picture-perfect way.”

Credit: ABC

April 2023

The married couple opened up about aiming for a "seamless" transition following Seacrest's emotional final Live episode, with Consuelos comparing his permanent role to his experience as a guest host. "The only difference I see now is that I'll have a little more time to prepare," he told Entertainment Weekly. "I think my approach would be to do just like I did before: Be present, have a lot of fun, be awake — you gotta be awake. ... Also, my partner's arguably the best in the business at this format. I know she's not going to let me screw up too bad."

Ripa, meanwhile, teased that she's "always thinking about retiring" from the daytime show. "A daily morning live talk show is nothing without its consistency and continuity," she said. "And Mark provides that, not just for our audience, but for me, for our producers. And so if anybody could make me stay, it is definitely Mark."