Ryan Seacrest announces exit from Live With Kelly and Ryan after 6 years

Ryan will be live with Kelly no longer.

Ryan Seacrest is leaving Live With Kelly and Ryan after six years on the air with Kelly Ripa. He shared the news on the air Thursday, revealing he made the "tough, tough decision" last year to "make this my last season as co-host" of the morning show.

But, in what Ripa described as the "shocking twist of the whole thing," Seacrest is set to be replaced as co-host by actor Mark Consuelos, Ripa's husband. The show will then become Live With Kelly and Mark.

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"Because we are so aware of the importance of continuity and consistency and the familial vibe that we all have here, it only makes sense … to bring in somebody that we know and love and who's really always been here," she said.

Ripa also joked this will be the "nation's weirdest social experiment," and Seacrest said he "can't wait to watch."

Seacrest took over as co-host with Ripa in 2017, succeeding Michael Strahan, who himself had replaced Regis Philbin. Seacrest also hosts American Idol, and he said he plans to "head out to the West Coast" after that show begins taping live from Los Angeles in the spring. Kelly and Ryan tapes from New York, and Ripa noted it's been "exhausting" for Seacrest "going back and forth," while he said he was only originally going to be on Kelly and Ryan for three years.

But "you're not getting rid of me because I'm coming back to guest host and fill in," Seacrest said. Ripa praised Seacrest as "a gem" and "one of my best friends," who has "gone from being a friend to a family member," while he thanked her for "your kindness, your thoughtfulness, your levity, your friendship."