Heavy/Getty Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest is returning home. He’ll appear on “Live With Kelly and Mark” on May 18 to promote the upcoming “American Idol” season finale, according to People.
Seacrest worked alongside Kelly Ripa on the popular national morning talk show “Live With Kelly and Ryan” from 2017 until April of this year. Ahead of the premiere of the 21st season of “American Idol,” Seacrest announced in February that he was leaving the syndicated staple after six years.
Ripa’s husband Mark Consuelos signed on as the show’s new co-host after Seacrest left. But to fans’ delight, the “American Idol” mainstay will sit down with the two on Thursday, People revealed. Five competitors were cut down to three during the singing competition’s Disney night on Sunday. Megan Danielle, Colin Stough and Iam Tongi will battle it out on Sunday, May 21, to determine the show’s next champion. Unfortunately for We Ani and Zachariah Smith, their dreams were dashed before the finale.
Along with hosting, Seacrest and former “American Idol” judge Paula Abdul featured on Disney’s “The Muppets Mayhem,” a show streaming on Disney+. “No one rocks harder than @PaulaAbdul and @RyanSeacrest… except The Electric Mayhem!” the official “American Idol” Instagram account posted on May 10. See below via the embedded Instagram link:
Seacrest Told People He Would ‘Be Back’ on ‘Live’ From ‘Time to Time’
When speaking with People after his “Live With Kelly and Ryan” exit, Seacrest affirmed that he’d return on the show from “time to time.”
“This isn’t the end, I’m going to be back,” Seacrest said. “This place is remarkable. I’m going to miss coming into this studio to see the people who have worked here for so long. It is about the people here; it’s a family at Live and they adopted me for a little while and I’m grateful for that. … So I’ll definitely be visiting from time to time.”
Ripa also chimed in on her co-host returning. “He’s forever adopted,” Ripa said. “He’s forever a New Yorker and forever a ‘Live’ co-host, whether he likes it or not.”
Consuelos marks Ripa’s fourth co-host on “Live.” She joined Regis Philbin in 2001 to bring to life “Live With Regis and Kelly” for 10 years before Philbin departed the show. After Ripa’s brief solo gig, Michael Strahan jumped on board for “Live With Kelly and Michael” from 2012 to 2016. After the former NFL tight end left the morning show, Ripa would once again go at it alone until Seacrest’s 2017 debut.
Seacrest Said Working With Ripa Was a Career Highlight
Seacrest and Ripa forged quite a bond during their six years working together. And in a statement to People, Seacrest gushed about their friendship, while also giving a nod to the show’s staff and Consuelos.
“Working alongside Kelly over the past six years has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career,” Seacrest said. “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,” he added. “It’s been a memorable ride and now I’m excited to pass the baton to Kelly’s ‘real’ husband, Mark.”