Here's Why Ryan Seacrest Is Leaving 'Live With Kelly And Ryan' After 6 Years

Ryan Seacrest is saying goodbye to "Live With Kelly And Ryan" after six years.

The 48-year-old veteran television host announced his "bittersweet" departure from the ABC morning show during Thursday's episode.

He revealed that the move had been in development "for a long time," which made it more difficult to leave.

"This is something that [Kelly Ripa] and I have been talking about for a long time, and it was a tough, tough decision. Last year we spoke, and I made the decision to make this my last season as co-host," Seacrest said.

He added that he will continue on as a guest host while he splits his time in Los Angeles for the taping of "American Idol" Season 21.

Ripa, 52, fully supported her co-host's decision and revealed that Seacrest was only supposed to join her for three years, starting in 2017, but ended up staying for six seasons. She described the "American Idol" host as a "gem" and "one of her best friends."

"The greatest part of this experience has been that you've gone from being a friend to a family member. You are family. We love you. We are so proud of you. I know how much of a sacrifice it's been. I know how exhausting it's been going back and forth [from New York to L.A.]," Ripa said.

Following the news, Ripa, who has been hosting the ABC show since 2001, announced that Seacrest will be replaced by her husband of nearly three decades, Mark Consuelos.

Although Seacrest did not reveal the reason he opted to leave the show, an unnamed source spoke to Entertainment Tonight and said that the "burnout and exhaustion" that he experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and being "bi-costal" were the cause.

"Ryan has been contemplating leaving the show for years and has been very conflicted," the source said. "He truly loves working with Kelly and the Live crew. However, with 'American Idol's' upcoming season filming in Los Angeles and other opportunities, he felt leaving the show was the right thing to do."

The source continued, "In 2020, Ryan suffered from exhaustion and was burnt out and he's trying to avoid that from happening again."

International Business Times could not independently verify this information.

But an unnamed source who spoke to Us Weekly in 2021 did confirm that Seacrest was in "bad shape" as he tried to juggle his jampacked work schedule. He even stepped down temporarily from "Live With Kelly and Ryan" in September of the same year to take some time to recover.

"His team was so concerned they staged an intervention," the source told the outlet. "Ryan's in bad [shape]."

A second source told the outlet at the time, "Ryan has been doing his [radio show] live on the air, [and is getting ready] to head to Austin for 'American Idol' auditions. He recognizes he needs to find windows of time to rest during these busy windows of work."

At the time, fans were concerned about Secreast's health condition. They speculated that the host had a stroke after they noticed that he seemingly slurred his words during the finale of 2020's "American Idol" and was absent from the morning show the following day.

A representative for Seacrest, however, said in a statement to People that the TV personality "did not have any kind of stroke."

"Like many people right now, Ryan is adjusting to the new normal and finding work-home balance, with the added stress of having to put on live shows from home," the rep added. "Between 'Live with Kelly and Ryan,' 'American Idol,' 'On Air with Ryan Seacrest,' and the Disney Family Singalong specials, he has been juggling three to four on-air jobs over the last few weeks and he's in need of rest."

Seacrest also took to Instagram Thursday to share the news.

"I'm going to miss my work wife and all the laughter we share. When I signed on to host 'Live' in 2017 it was meant to be for 3 years, but I loved the job and working with Kelly so much that I extended my time, and last year I made the decision to stay on for one more final season," the veteran host wrote in the caption, alongside throwback photos of him and Ripa from the show.

"I've been grateful to be able to share a cup of coffee with our viewers every day, one of the best parts of the gig," he added.

He said that he will continue KIIS-FM's "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" and the annual television broadcast "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve." He also shared that he will "focus on opening three more Ryan Seacrest Foundation Studios in pediatric hospitals across the country" by the summer.