Ryan Seacrest shared with listeners on Thursday, February 16, he's leaving Live With Kelly and Ryan after six seasons. Seacrest first shared the news on Instagram and later explained on-air the decision has been in the works for a while now, with his initial stint on the show only supposed to last three years.
"I made this decision last year ... to have this be my last season," Seacrest explained. Adding on Instagram: "When I signed on to host Live in 2017 it was meant to be for 3 years, but I loved the job and working with Kelly so much that I extended my time and last year I made the decision to stay on for one more final season."
Seacrest shared with Sisanie and Tanya on-air he'll miss working with Kelly Ripa, but he couldn't approve more of his replacement.
"I'm very close with Kelly and her family and excited that her husband [Mark Consuelos] ... is going to come in and sit in that chair in a few months. ... It's the perfect scenario."
In fact, the scenario is made even better with Seacrest set to return from time to time!
"I'm going to fill in for them and come back and guest host a lot."
Listen back for more from Ryan here and tune in live to the show via the iHeartRadio app or on your smart players like Alexa.