Live With Kelly And Mark!

Ryan Seacrest leaves Live. Kelly Ripa's husband will be permanent host.

Shocking media news.....

Six years after Michael Strahan's departure, Ryan Seacrest took the helm of Live! with co-host Kelly Ripa. It appears that the media personality is leaving the show.

Ripa's husband Mark Consuelos will be the permanent host in the Spring.

Seacrest, the longtime host of American Idol took over Live! when Ripa and Strahan had a messy fallout. Seacrest also hosts a radio show, Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve and numerous other projects. He said he will be a guest host whenever Ripa or Consuelos are on vacation.

“You are family here. We love you. We are so proud of you,” Ripa said of Seacrest. “I know how much of a sacrifice it’s been. I know how exhausting it’s been going back and forth [from New York to L.A.].”

Daytime's No. 1 show will have husband and wife Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa.

“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. “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.”

Added Ripa: “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. Ryan’s energy, passion and love for entertainment is one-of-a-kind.”

Seacrest originally signed onto the show for three years and ended up staying for six. He plans to return to the West Coast where he will continue to host ABC’s American Idol and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.

Seacrest, who joked that his departure might partly be due to the cold NY winters, said his three years turned into six due to the “genuine fun” of being on this show every day.

“Goodbyes are never easy, but we look forward to welcoming Ryan back regularly with open arms,” Gelman said. “As a fan-favorite guest host for years, Mark is no stranger to the Live family. Having him join the show is so special for us and we’re sure that viewers will feel the same.”

Strahan, a former NFL linebacker turned media personality had a tense relationship with Ripa. He also had multiple roles being a father, dealing with his ex's, his roles on ABC with his game show, Pyramid, his GMA hosting role, his Fox NFL Sunday role, his fashion line and his podcast.

His departure sparked a longstanding feud with Ripa who was caught off guard by the news.

Seacrest announced it on today's Live.

The tapping of Consuelos puts a rather literal spin on the show’s original concept, which launched in 1983 as The Morning Show. “The real concept of the show, in a symbolic sense, is that they are husband and wife,” Gelman said. “They have their coffee mugs and they’re chit-chatting about what’s going on.” It’s a format that has its roots in early radio programs, such as Breakfast with the Fitzgeralds. Since the launch of The Morning Show, the series has had several host and name changes over the years, such as Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, which ran from 1988–2000. Ripa joined Regis Philbin in 2001 and has co-hosted the show ever since.

Philbin left in 2011, with Michael Strahan named as his successor. Strahan exited the morning show in 2016 with Seacrest later named as his replacement.

Ripa quipped on Thursday’s show that her husband joining her as a co-host would be “the nation’s weirdest social experiment.”