Ryan Seacrest Had Been Contemplating Leaving 'Live With Kelly and Ryan' for Years, Source Says

Like family! Ryan Seacrest opened up about his experience hosting American Idol after announcing his departure from Live With Kelly and Ryan.

Ryan Seacrest is known for his role hosting numerous successful TV and radio shows, such as American Idol season 21.As the video below shows, the star recently announced he would be leaving his hosting duties at Live! with Kelly and Ryan this year. However, Ryan will remain very much on our TV screen and airwaves in the future.WATCH: Ryan Seacrest announces his departure from Live!Being such an in-demand personality has its perks, and coupling these with his successful career as a producer and entrepreneur has made Ryan a top earner.

Ryan Seacrest has some adjusting to do as he prepares for his departure from Live! With Kelly & Ryan after six years on the show, but luckily he has a great support system to be there for him through all of the changes.Not only does he have the full support of his soon-to-be former co-host Kelly Ripa – and his replacement Mark Consuelos – but through it all, he has had his girlfriend Aubrey Paige Petcosky right by his side.The 25 and 48-year-old have been dating for nearly two years, and they made their official red carpet debut at the premiere of Jennifer Lopez' documentary, Halftime, at the TriBeCa Film Festival in June of 2022.WATCH: Ryan Seacrest confirms exit from Live! With Kelly and RyanMORE: Inside Michael Strahan’s public fall out with former co-star Kelly RipaThey met in 2021, and their union was the highlight of Aubrey's year, she revealed in a celebratory New Year's post ahead of 2022, when she wrote: "Safe to say the best part of 2021 was meeting the most incredible man," alongside a loved up photo of the two together.The 25-year-old is a model, and per her Instagram, she is currently signed with Genetics Model Management, plus her bio details that some of her passions include screenwriting, travel, fashion and fitness.MORE: GMA's Amy Robach's former stepson shares glimpse inside incredible homeAccording to her LinkedIn page, she grew up in upstate New York, before moving to Texas.

Ryan Seacrest shocked fans last week with his announcement he was leaving Live with Kelly & Ryan after this season. But for everyone who worked on the show it was a relief months in the making! Not because they dislike him, of course — because they were worried!

reports Entertainment Weekly. It was announced Thursday that Seacrest, 48, would leave the daytime talk show after six years and focus on hosting the singing show “American Idol. “This is something that [Kelly] and I have been talking about for a long time, and it was a tough, tough decision,” Seacrest stated.

Mark Consuelos appeared on on Friday, one day after news broke that the 51-year-old actor would be joining his wife, Kelly Ripa, as a permanent co-host on her long-running talk show. He will be replacing Ryan Seacrest, who announced on Thursday that he was exiting the show after six years. Consuelos stepped out onto the stage, declaring he had «no second thoughts» about joining his wife on the syndicated program. «I will have a list of grievances,» he quipped.

Seacrest out! On Thursday, Ryan Seacrest announced that after six years, he would be stepping down as Kelly Ripa’s “Live With Kelly and Ryan” co-host. While the decision might feel sudden to fans, the 48-year-old had actually been thinking about making the change for years.

Kelly Ripa has ensconced herself behind the desk at — from auditioning for four months and ultimately becoming Regis Philbin's permanent co-host, to later joining forces with the likes of Michael Strahan and Ryan Seacrest.Following Philbin's departure in November 2011, there was a revolving door of guest co-hosts — from Jerry Seinfeld, Neil Patrick Harris and Michael Bublé to Seth Meyers, Mary J. Blige and Andy Cohen — before producers landed on Strahan as Ripa's next permanent co-host.

Ryan Seacrest has a lot of support! On Thursday, the multi-hyphenate announced that he would be leaving  after six seasons on the show, and Kelly Ripa's husband, Mark Consuelos, would be stepping in.While Seacrest has made the move to spend more time on his work in Los Angeles, the decision also puts him closer to his girlfriend, Aubrey Paige.

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Changing it up! Ryan Seacrest received an outpouring of love from Tamron Hall, Kelly Ripa and more after announcing his exit as cohost from Live With Kelly and Ryan on Thursday, February 16.

Ready for his close-up! Mark Consuelos is looking forward to his new gig as wife Kelly Ripa‘s Live cohost as Ryan Seacrest exits the morning show.

Ryan Seacrest is officially stepping down from his daytime hosting gig.

Media royalty. Ryan Seacrest has dominated the entertainment industry for more than two decades — both in front of and behind the camera.

 will no longer be waking up alongside Kelly Ripa. After six seasons on the ABC morning show Live with Kelly and Ryan, he announced his exit during Thursday’s episode. He’ll be replaced this spring by , Ripa’s husband of , as official co-host. “Working alongside Kelly over the past six years has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career.

Ryan Seacrest announced his departure from "Live With Kelly and Ryan" after six seasons, calling it a "hard decision" that was "bittersweet," according to the announcement he made on Thursday's show.  Co-host Kelly Ripa will be joined by actor Mark Consuelos, her husband of 26 years, as permanent co-host for the daytime talk show, which will be renamed "Live With Kelly and Mark." Consuelos has occasionally stepped in to co-host for Seacrest. Seacrest said he will return to guest-host occasionally, but plans to move back to the West coast where he will continue hosting American Idol.

Ryan Seacrest on his next chapter -- and it’s all love. After six seasons, Seacrest announced on Thursday's episode of Live With Kelly and Ryan that he will be leaving the show come Spring, and Consuelos will be taking over as co-host alongside his wife, Kelly Ripa.The 51-year-old actor posted a kind message to Instagram for his «brother.»«Congrats on your next chapter @ryanseacrest. I love you like a brother.

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Stronger together! Ryan Seacrest has been dating model Aubrey Paige for nearly two years.

Ryan Seacrest stunned Live! viewers when he announced his departure from the show after six years on Thursday – and he'll be replaced by Kelly Ripa's husband, Mark Consuelos.Following the bombshell news, Mark  - who has been married to Kelly for 26 years - took to Instagram to share his reaction after he was revealed as Kelly's new co-host, writing: "Congrats on your next chapter @ryanseacrest. I love you like a brother.