Ryan Seacrest BREAKS SILENCE: The SHOCKING Truth About His Real Feelings for Kelly Ripa After “Live!” BOMBSHELL! Finally, Ryan Seacrest speaks out, revealing the explosive reality behind his friendship with Kelly Ripa after his dramatic exit from “Live!” Was their on-screen chemistry a carefully crafted illusion? Did simmering tensions finally erupt? Prepare for bombshell revelations and shocking admissions as Seacrest sets the record straight, exposing the untold story of their complex dynamic and the real reasons behind his headline-grabbing departure that left millions stunned and speculating wildly about their true relationship.

Ryan Seacrest gave an update on his friendship with former Live! cohost Kelly Ripa at the American Idol Top 14 live show.

Watch: Ryan Seacrest Receives Word of Wisdom from Kelly Ripa

Ryan Seacrest misses his other half.

Two years after the American Idol host left his cohost chair on Live! with Kelly Ripa—after which her husband Mark Conseulos took over—Ryan reflected on the previous life chapter.

“I love that show,” Ryan exclusively told E! News during American Idol’s Top 14 broadcast April 28. “I had a blast doing it. Kelly and I are still the closest friends, Mark too.”

Of course, Ryan isn’t against revisiting his past.

“Mark and Kelly have invited me to come on in a couple weeks,” the 50-year-old gushed. “So, I will be there. The trifecta, we’ll be on the set. I can’t wait to see them.” (For more from Ryan and the rest of the American Idol cast, tune into E! News tonight, April 29, at 11 p.m.)

Shortly after he left his role on Live!—which he held for six years—the Wheel of Fortune host admitted that leaving Kelly was the hardest part of his departure.

“I’ll miss being next to Kelly every single day,” Ryan told E! News in 2023. “We’re extremely close, we’re very good friends, we’ll remain good friends. But there’s that hour of communicating with somebody. You become super excited about doing it. You laugh, and then, of course, you can’t remember what you said to each other. So, I’ll miss that part.”

And while Kelly—who has been married to Mark for 28 years—found a perfect replacement for her former cohost in her husband, she previously emphasized how much she loved working with Ryan.

James Devaney/GC Images

“I’m so grateful to have spent the last six years beside my dear friend of too many decades to count and will miss starting my days with Ryan,” Kelly effused in a statement to E! News in 2023. “Ryan’s energy, passion and love for entertainment is one-of-a-kind.”

As for Mark, he was more than honored to take the Live! baton from his pal.

“We have such a great relationship,” Mark said of Ryan shortly after his role was announced. “We’re truly like brothers.”

Keep reading for a deeper look into Ryan and Kelly’s friendship in anticipation of his Live! return…

—Reporting by Sharon Carpenter