Ryan Seacrest Is Joining Kelly Ripa as ‘Live with Kelly’ Co-Host

Ryan Seacrest is joining Kelly Ripa as her permanent co-host on the daytime talk show Live with Kelly.

Ripa announced that Seacrest, who was the longtime host of American Idol, would join her on her Monday episode. The two took the stage together on Monday’s show to applause from the studio audience.

Ripa has been the only permanent host on Live with Kelly for nearly a year — her former co-host Michael Strahan left to join Good Morning America last May. Ripa said she’d been caught off guard by Strahan’s departure and took time away from the show after it was announced.

Ripa has been joined by 67 guest hosts on Live, according to The Wrap, including Anderson Cooper, Megyn Kelly, and Seacrest. In an interview with Watch What Happens Live in 2016, Ripa told host Andy Cohen that there had been an “outpouring” of interest in filling Strahan’s seat at the desk. “Our list got very long very quickly,” Ripa said. “We’ve been trying to keep it as narrow as possible, but then people pop up.”

Ripa hinted she would be getting a new partner on Live with Kelly ahead of Monday’s show in a video posted on social media.”Tune in tomorrow,” Ripa says in the Sunday afternoon post, taking a sip from a mug emblazoned with her show’s logo and a large question mark. “Trust me.”