Ryan Seacrest, best known as the host of "American Idol," is now going to co-host "Live with Kelly Ripa" — which will be aptly renamed "Live with Kelly and Ryan."
Ripa has been hosting with a series of guest co-hosts since Michael Strahan's unexpected departure last year, a move over which she was reported to have been very angry. Nevertheless, Ripa seems excited about Seacrest joining her, releasing a statement saying: "Ryan is a quintessential broadcaster and at the top of his game. I am thrilled to start my mornings with him every day, and we are so fortunate at ‘Live’ to have him join the family. Ryan is a close friend and his star shines as brightly off camera as it does on. His tremendous success is only matched by his impeccable reputation. Plainly said, everyone loves him, and so will our daily viewers."
Seacrest echoed these sentiments, saying in a statement that "I couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather share this new chapter with than Kelly Ripa – she’s a dream broadcast partner, and I can’t wait to start."
Seacrest, who rose to fame hosting "American Idol," has had a very extensive and prolific career.
After taking over a Los Angeles morning radio show at the age of 20, Seacrest's star quickly rose when his show was picked up for national syndication.
His big break occurred, of course, when he began hosting "American Idol" in 2002, initially with co-host Brian Dunkleman and then solo.
By 2004 he had inherited "American Top 40" from the legendary Casey Kasem, and in 2005 he co-hosted Dick Clark's famous New Year's Rockin' Eve event. After Clark's passing in 2012, Seacrest officially inherited the show from the man who he frequently described as a role model.
In addition to his gigs hosting "American Idol" and New Year's celebrations, Seacrest has also been an ambitious entrepreneur, whether investing in media startups like Pinterest and DigiTour or creating his own menswear line with Macy's. He is also a producer of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and its spinoff series, as well as shows like "Shades of Blue" from NBC and "Shahs of Sunset" from Bravo.
Now he can add greeting millions of Americans each morning with Kelly Ripa to his super-busy activities list.
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