Ryan Seacrest tears up during emotional ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan’ tribute

Ryan Seacrest couldn’t help but get a little emotional during an emotional tribute on ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan’ on Friday.

On Thursday, the 48-year-old announced that this will be his last season as co-host alongside Kelly Ripa, having originally joined back in 2017.

The show is ranked as the number-one daytime talk show in households as per Deadline, but Seacrest stated that his departure is due to other upcoming projects he is set to work on, including hosting ‘American Idol’ alongside Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie.

Seacrest tears up

On Friday, Ripa welcomed husband Mark Consuelo, who is set to take over from Seacrest when the show rebrands to ‘Live with Kelly and Mark’, to the set.

“I do want to say, you’re a brother to me, you’re a family member to me. I’ve become so close with both of you,” Seacrest told Consuelos.

“The three of us sat - before I moved out here - and had real conversations about doing this for a few years. It ended up being longer than I thought, and I couldn’t be happier to see you come in and be next to your wife, who we both know is the most amazing human being on the planet.”

Consuelos’ response

Consuelos, who married Ripa in 1996 after the two met while working on ‘All My Children’ a year earlier, returned the kind words.

“I couldn’t think of a better person to sit next to my wife for the past six years,” Consuelos said.

“You’re a true friend. You’re a brother. You’re generous to my wife, to my whole family. I got to meet your family. I love your parents, your niece, your sister, your brother-in-law.

“That chair you’re sitting in, it’s an iconic seat. It’s a great honor for me to sit there. It’s an iconic show, and I think it’s going to be a blast. Thank you.”

Along with hosting American Idol, Seacrest will also continue his radio show on KIIS-FM, as well as his work on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.

He also promised to return to the talk show in the future as a guest host.