Ryan Seacrest said goodbye to Live With Kelly and Ryan on Friday, departing the daytime show after six seasons.
The host teared up midway through the show, after a clip package of emotional moments from his tenure set to a version of “I’ve Grown Accustomed to [His] Face.” “Wow, thank you for holding me up during that,” he told co-host Kelly Ripa.
“It’s not lost on me how fortunate I am to have held this seat for the last six years,” Seacrest said. “I’ve spent my entire career talking … but today it’s hard to put into words how deeply I’ve appreciated being here and being with you, being invited into your homes every day. I’m honored to be part of this family.” Watch his remarks below.
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Ripa got emotional as well — while mixing in some jokes. “This has been the fastest six years of my life,” she told Seacrest. “Although we’ve been friends for decades, I feel like I have gained through this process a younger brother/oldest son. That’s how I feel about you. … I am so grateful that our success together on this show has led to us developing an even closer, yet also codependent, relationship.”
She continued, “From the bottom of my heart, from the bottom of all our hearts, we just want to thank you for being an original, authentic addition to this show. You are forever our family.”
Seacrest announced he was leaving the show in February, saying it was a “tough, tough decision” to make. “Last year we spoke, and I made the decision to make this my last season as co-host of Live With Kelly and Ryan, which is bittersweet,” he told Ripa at the time. Ripa’s husband, Mark Consuelos, will join her as co-host starting April 17.
Friday’s show featured first lady Dr. Jill Biden and several clip packages looking back at his time on the show, as well as trivia about how many cooking segments he’s taken part in and the number of trips the show has given away during his time on Live.
The show closed with a Champagne toast and Consuelos rolling out a cake shaped like a tin of sardines, harkening back to a recurring joke from the show. He then passed a Live coffee mug to Consuelos to officially hand over hosting duties.
