‘Kelly and Mark have TV magic. They wanted to capitalize on that’: ABC Reportedly Was Ecstatic To Replace Ryan Seacrest With Mark Consuelos Despite Seacrest’s Years of Loyalty to Kelly Ripa and ‘Live’

Ryan John Seacrest is a television personality and producer from the United States. He is best known for co-hosting and executive producing Live with Kelly and Ryan. On February 16, Seacrest stunned longtime audiences by making an unexpected revelation about his future. While he sat alongside his co-host, Kelly Ripa, the media mogul announced his decision to depart from the American syndicated morning talk show after six years on the air. Furthermore, it was revealed that Ripa’s husband, Mark Consuelos, will take over as co-host once he leaves daytime TV later this spring.

Ryan Seacrest Is Leaving Live With Kelly and Ryan

Seacrest announced his departure from the ABC morning show Live With Kelly and Ryan during Thursday’s episode, after six seasons of laughter, fun banter, debates, and whatnot. Mark Consuelos, Ripa’s husband, will take over as official cohost this spring. The announcement that Consuelos would be hosting in place of Seacrest came as little surprise to viewers since he is a natural choice for co-hosting alongside Ripa. In addition to having three children with the actress, the For the Love of Grace actor has appeared on 136 episodes of the show since debuting as a guest co-host in 2013. Seacrest was recently in Hawaii on vacation, while Consuelos co-hosted the Valentine’s Day program with her wife.

Also Read: Ryan Seacrest Breaks Down in Front of Kelly Ripa as She Makes Him Welcome His Replacement Mark Consuelos on ‘Live’, Says it Was a “Tough Decision”

When announcing his departure, the host became emotional, saying, “Working with Kelly over the past six years has been a dream job and one of the joys of my career,” Seacrest said in a statement. He continued,

“She’s been an incredible partner, friend, and confidante, and while we’ll always be in each other’s lives, I’ll miss our mornings together. I’d also like to thank Michael Gelman and the entire cast and crew; we’ve made memories that last a lifetime, met some of the most remarkable individuals, and been welcomed into the homes of so many Americans. It’s been a memorable ride, and I’m looking forward to passing the baton to Kelly’s real husband, Mark.”

Ryan Seacrest will continue to host other ABC shows, including American Idol and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest.

Also Read: Kelly Ripa Reportedly Conspiring Since a Year To Replace Ryan Seacrest With Mark Consuelos Because She Believes She Has Better Chemistry With Her Husband Than Seacrest

ABC tried to convince Mark Consuelos to do Live with Kelly before Ryan Seacrest’s departure

Page Six revealed that ABC executives were aware that Ryan Seacrest would be leaving  the titular show and network executives had already planned his replacement. ABC approached Mark Consuelos last summer with the anticipation that he would be joining his wife on the show.

Also Read: Mark Consuelos Already Setting Up New Rules for Kelly Ripa To Mark His Territory on ‘Live’ as He Replaces Ryan Seacrest in Cult-Classic Talk Show

“ABC bosses were overjoyed when Ryan Seacrest chose to leave Live with Kelly and Ryan,” the Daily Mail reported. Mark Consuelos and Ripa have a sultry on-screen romance that mirrors their intense off-screen relationship, and ABC has hoped for them to work together permanently on the program, according to the report.

According to the another source, ABC has been eager to bring in Consuelos to replace Seacrest. It went on to say,

“Kelly and Mark are TV magic. Every time he fills in for Ryan, the viewers can’t get enough of watching the fireworks between them. As Ryan began discussing leaving, there weren’t exactly any tears shed since the executives wanted to capitalize on that.”

The insider added that Seacrest’s tenure at the program was coming to an end, saying,

“Ryan did his part when he came in to replace Michael Strahan and has done a wonderful job for six years. And ABC has always been grateful for it. But Ryan has quite the ego, and he doesn’t like the fact that Mark has proven to be so popular when he fills in for him.”

The 48-year-old Ryan Seacrest intends to move to Los Angeles, where he will continue to host American Idol. He will be present for Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve as well and will continue to host Live until the spring, but Consuelos will take his position the following year, and the program will thereafter be renamed as Live with Kelly and Mark.

Source: Page Six