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After a year of going solo, Kelly Ripa debuted her new Live co-host on Monday morning: Ryan Seacrest.
Hosting will be no sweat for Seacrest, who got his start hosting America Idolbefore going on to lead up ABC's New Year's Rockin' Eve and even his own radio show, On Air with Ryan Seacrest. Since Strahan's departure, Seacrest has already guest-hosted Live alongside Ripa five times.
Ripa and Seacrest, who have been friends for years, were thrilled when they found out they'd be working together five mornings a week. However, both of them struggled to keep the exciting news a secret and Seacrest admitted to telling a few of his friends the news in advance. But when Seacrest texted his friends that he had big news, everyone assumed he was either engaged, having a baby or coming out as gay.
"And if you want to get engaged, have a baby or come out of the closet, all of those things are possible for you. This is a safe zone," Ripa joked.
Seacrest's new gig on the New York-based Live with Kelly and Ryan won't affect his many other jobs. He'll continue to host his two radio shows from a brand-new studio in ABC7, where Live films. He'll also continue to host and executive producer E!'s Live from the Red Carpet award shows coverage.
Ripa teased the exciting announcement on Sunday evening, posting a video of herself on Twitter drinking from a mug that was emblazoned with her name and a large question mark. "We're going to need a bigger mug," the caption reads. In anticipation of the news, she told fans, "Tune in tomorrow, trust me."
Ripa's last co-host, Michael Strahan, left Live last spring after four years to join Good Morning America, leaving Ripa feeling blindsided. The longtime morning show host took several days off from filming the series following Strahan's shocking announcement before ultimately returning to bid the former NFL star a tense farewell.
In the months since, Ripa has welcomed a variety of guest hosts while she searched for the perfect partner, including Jimmy Kimmel, Jerry O'Connell, Anderson Cooper and Fred Savage.
