This month marks the one-year anniversary of Live with Kelly and Ryan, and the show’s star co-hosts are just getting started.
On May 1, 2017, Kelly Ripa’s longtime pal Ryan Seacrest became the permanent co-host on Live, the syndicated morning talk show she’d previously hosted with Regis Philbin, Michael Strahan, and, most recently, solo (along with a long list of celebrity guest hosts).
From the very beginning, Ripa, 47, was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Seacrest, 43. “When I look at him, I see the future of this show,” she effused shortly after he started on Live.
And Ripa and Seacrest’s Live partnership has more than lived up to her expectations. As she told E! News in an anniversary week interview, “On the one hand, it feels like Ryan has always been here because he’s been such a big part of my life off-camera for the past 15 years, so it feels like he’s always been here in a sense. On the other hand, it feels like he got here three days ago and we’re already celebrating a year … time really does fly when you’re having fun. It’s been the fastest year of my life.”
Seacrest couldn’t agree more – in the same E! News interview, he called joining Live the “best decision of [his] life.” He added, “I literally get up excited every morning to see [Kelly].”
The dynamic duo also took to social media to express their excitement over the milestone. Ripa shared an adorable set of 10 photos of the pair on Instagram; in her caption, she referred to Seacrest as the “cohost jackpot.” Seacrest also posted several celebratory pics on Instagram, as well as a throwback video of his very first day on the job. He captioned that post, “A year ago today I was sneaking into the abc building for day 1 of LWKR. Time flies – happy anniversary @kellyripa! #kellyandryan.”
There’s no doubt: the past year has been a great one for the Live co-hosts. One reason it’s been so stellar? It’s been full of jet-setting – the stars have filmed the show on location at Niagara Falls and Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas, as well as in Hollywood for the Oscars.
The famous friends have also welcomed tons of amazing guests to the Live with Kelly and Ryan stage over the last year. These guests have included A-list celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Chrissy Teigen, Taraji P. Henson, Denzel Washington, Liam Neeson, Madonna, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Hugh Jackman, and Ben Affleck, just to name a few.
Ripa and Seacrest even engaged in some wacky, silly stunts on Live this year. They tasted pickle juice soda, attempted sumo wrestling, had a gladiator-style joust, and rocked over 70 Halloween costumes!
The co-stars don’t let the fun stop when Live tapings end – Seacrest is a fixture of Ripa’s New York City townhouse, which she shares with husband Mark Consuelos and their younger two children, 16-year-old Lola and 15-year-old Joaquin (their oldest child, 20-year-old Michael, attends New York University and lives a few subway stops away from the family home). Seacrest, who lives nearby with his girlfriend, Shayna Taylor, has been hanging out with the whole Ripa-Consuelos family – especially Ripa’s husband. “I think the fact that her husband and I have grown so close has been one of the greatest things for me. We’re actually wearing the same clothes these days. I’m trying to morph into Mark Consuelos the best I can,” Seacrest wisecracked to E! News.
This first fabulous year of Live with Kelly and Ryan comes after a far more challenging year for both stars. In April 2016, Strahan abruptly departed Live to join Good Morning America, a move that left Ripa reeling. That same month, American Idol – the reality TV singing competition that Seacrest had hosted for 15 seasons on Fox – was canceled due to declining ratings. (Idol has since been rebooted by ABC, with Seacrest once again hosting.)
Fortunately, Ripa and Seacrest are clearly enjoying happier times now. It’s safe to say that the co-hosts are having a blast together, and it shows: fans can’t get enough of the warmth and on-screen chemistry that the TV stars’ genuine camaraderie has brought to Live. Fans can help Ripa and Seacrest celebrate the one-year anniversary of Live with Kelly and Ryan by tuning into the show, which airs every weekday morning on local ABC stations. Viewers can also go online and request free tickets to attend a Live taping in New York City.
