Ryan Seacrest is out, Mark Consuelos is in on Live With Kelly And Ryan

Out with the work husband, in with the actual husband. Kelly Ripa is getting yet another co-host for the long-running daytime talk show Live, a title which has heretofore been followed by “With Kelly And Ryan.” But on Thursday, Ryan Seacrest announced his departure from the show, before the hosts revealed that his replacement would be none other than Ripa’s spouse Mark Consuelos.

“Working alongside Kelly over the past six years has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career,” Seacrest said in a statement (per The Hollywood Reporter). “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. I also want to thank [executive producer] 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.”

“I’m so grateful to have spent the last six years beside my dear friend of too many decades to count and will miss starting my days with Ryan,” Ripa added. “Ryan’s energy, passion and love for entertainment is one-of-a-kind.”

On air, Seacrest told the audience that the decision was a “tough” one, but he’s ready to quit the bi-coastal life and stick with hosting American Idol in Los Angeles, occasionally returning to New York to serve as a guest host. (He will also return to helm Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.) Ripa acknowledged what a “sacrifice it’s been” for Seacrest to juggle his many responsibilities, gushing, “You are family here. We love you. We are so proud of you.”

Ripa has hosted the show since 2001, when she assumed the mantle from Regis Philbin’s previous co-host Kathie Lee Gifford. Following Philbin’s departure, Ripa was joined by a variety of guest co-hosts before Michael Strahan was introduced as a permanent host. After four years, Strahan departed the program for Good Morning America, a move that reportedly left Ripa blindsided.

Seacrest, on the other hand, made it clear that he had given Ripa plenty of advance notice about his intentions to step down, starting his monologue with the fact that they spoke about it “last year.” In fact, he noted his contract was only supposed to last three years, but he stayed on double that because of how much he loved the program.

Consuelos, a frequent and popular guest on the program, will step in to fill Seacret’s shoes in a “few months,” according to the current hosts. Executive producer Michael Gelman has long described the show’s concept as spousal banter: “The real concept of the show, in a symbolic sense, is that they are husband and wife,” he has said (per THR). “They have their coffee mugs and they’re chit-chatting about what’s going on.” Now they’ll also be husband and wife in a literal sense, in what Ripa and Seacrest have dubbed “the nation’s weirdest social experiment.” Best of luck to all involved!