It's the end of an era: Ryan Seacrest announced Thursday that he plans to leave Live With Kelly and Ryan after this season comes to an end. The news was unexpected for viewers, but something tells us that fans are going to be pleased with the new cohost, who couldn't have possibly been a more perfect pick.
Ryan and Kelly looked solemn as he dropped the news.
The cohost kicked off the show by making the big announcement.
"This is something that [Kelly] and I have been talking about for a long time, and it was a tough, tough decision," Ryan said. "Last year we spoke, and I made the decision to make this my last season as cohost."
Fans will still be able to see Ryan elsewhere.
He isn't exactly retiring from the entertainment industry — just the show. Fans will still get a chance to see Ryan as he works on some of his other major projects.
"What I plan to do is once American Idol starts from Los Angeles later this spring, I'll head out to the West Coast and host that show," he shared, adding that he promises he'll be back from time to time to "guest host and fill in."
Ryan was never meant to stay on permanently.
Even though fans are understandably upset to see Ryan go, Kelly took a moment to remind them that they got considerably more time with the 48-year-old than they were supposed to.
Kelly shared that Ryan, who she referred to as one of her best friends, was only "supposed to be here for three years" as opposed to the six years he remained.
We already know who Ryan's replacement is, and the choice is kind of perfect.
"The only person I can think of that is capable of holding [Ryan's] torch the way [he has] held it would be my husband, Mark Consuelos, in what Ryan and I are calling the nation's weirdest social experiment," Kelly joked, revealing that her longtime love would be joining her at on stage.
This isn't the first time Mark and Kelly have filmed together.
Not only has Mark filled in as Kelly's cohost on occasion in the past, but the pair actually met while starring on ABC's hit soap opera All My Children.
We have a feeling that viewers will love watching the real-life husband and wife take on the show as a team. We know we're excited to see them together again.
