Ryan Seacrest returned to his old stomping grounds on Live With Kelly and Mark — but not without some shade from Kelly Ripa.
“So, tell me about Wheel of Fortune now. Have you learned how to spell?” Ripa, 54, joked to Ryan, 49, on the Monday, October 7, episode before his sister, Meredith, jumped in to add, “We know that’s a problem.”
Ryan replied that he still “doesn’t text well,” noting that Ripa already “knows that.”
“But on the puzzles I’m OK. I kind of know where we’re going with the puzzles,” he explained.
Ripa then quipped he’s “OK” on puzzles because the answer is “in front of you,” to which he replied, “Either in my head or in front of me. I mean, it’s somewhere.”
In February 2023, Ryan announced that he was leaving his role as cohost of Live With Kelly and Ryan after six years.
“Working alongside Kelly over the past six years has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career,” he shared in a statement. “She has been an amazing partner, friend and confidant, and although we will always be a part of each other’s lives, I will miss our mornings together.”
He continued: “I also want to thank Michael Gelman and the entire staff and crew — we’ve made memories to last a lifetime, met some of the most incredible people and had the warmest welcome into the homes of so many viewers across America. It’s been a memorable ride and now I’m excited to pass the baton to Kelly’s ‘real’ husband, Mark [Consuelos].”
Four months later, Ryan shared that he would be replacing Pat Sajak as the host of Wheel of Fortune following Sajak’s retirement.
“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” he shared in Sony Pictures Television’s press release in June 2023. “I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna [White] on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them.”
Seacrest went on to say that he loves how Sajak, 77, always “celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease.”
“I look forward to learning everything I can from you during this transition,” he added. “I can’t wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White.”
