Celebrate Kelly Ripa's and Ryan Seacrest's 5 years of cohost shenanigans on Live With Kelly and Ryan
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It's been a wild ride for Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest.
Season 35 of Live With Kelly and Ryan is underway — and this year, the duo celebrate five years as co-hosts on the long-running ABC morning talk show, which has aired under various hosts since 1983. Under Ripa and Seacrest, it's been five years of dance parties with special guests, kooky fitness demonstrations, the occasional wardrobe malfunction (oh, Ryan), and, of course, Host Chat segments about everything and anything. "I don't even know what we talk about," Seacrest jokes.
ABC/Paula Lobo
Still keeping things fresh as the No. 1 entertainment talk show on TV, the telegenic pair are in the middle of their fan-favorite Record Breaker Week, having already broken two Guinness World Records: the world record for most marshmallows caught in the mouth with a home-made catapult in one minute and the record for most basketball slam dunks in one minute by a dog, accomplished by Air Bud kindred spirit Leonard Lee.
In celebration of five years of Kelly-and-Ryanisms, revisit some of the Live shenanigans (featuring commentary from the dynamic duo) below.
A lack of athleticism makes for good laughs
It wouldn't be Live With Kelly and Ryan without fitness demonstrations — and Seacrest is positive Ripa has had the upper hand. "I'm convinced that Kelly practices weeks in advance in any sort of active event that we have," he says. Ripa pushes back: "No, I don't practice anything, obviously, and if you watch the show you would know that our lack of preparation is really what makes the magic here." While Seacrest maintains he's embarrassed about his athleticism, or lack thereof, his co-host offers some assuring words: "I think you've been excellent."
Cut the cameras! An unscripted show and mishaps go hand in hand
"We don't anticipate things going wrong; however, it is live television, so things always do go wrong," Ripa says of on-camera mishaps. Seacrest notes, "I think we relish it in a way. I almost think we'd be most uncomfortable if everything went flawlessly." It's an unscripted show, after all, and the two "roll with the punches," Ripa says, adding, "If we had to actually sit here and read from a teleprompter and just say things pre-scripted, that would take the magic away from us." Her co-host jests, "And we would be fired because we can't read that well."
Stars, they're just like us — and get starstruck over other celebrities, too
Special guests make the lively morning talk show all the more spirited, with stars ranging from Bette Midler to Keegan-Michael Key to Kate Hudson. Let's not forget the indomitable Madonna and electric Jack Black, who both made memorable appearances on the show thanks to their dance skills. "He brings out so much energy," Seacrest recalls of Black's visit. "We just sit back and watch him move!"
Madonna superfan Ripa, who didn't sleep a wink the night before the pop icon's 2017 appearance, adds, "I travel to see Madonna. I have gone to other countries to see Madonna. When she came into our studio, several times, each time it's like 'I can't believe she's in our studio.' It never gets old. She's a really good interview. She's funny and irreverent and she understands the assignment."
Another perk of the job? Watching celebrities who have never met interact for the first time, whether backstage or on the sound stage. "We love watching celebrities meet each other for the first time," Ripa says. "You're like, 'Oh wow, I would've thought those two knew each other!' And then you see them interact. It's wild."
Work spouses become closet spouses
The work spouse that spends a lot of time together on set will naturally have a close relationship off set — one that involves constant texting during off hours and FaceTimes from their closet. "There's a lot of nudity involved," Ripa jokes. "This is not a humble brag, but we do like to FaceTime each other from inside our closets. Sometimes we want to collaborate on something or Ryan will ask me if Mark [Consuelos, the actor and Ripa's longtime husband] has a certain look that he's interested in. We go into each other's closets, usually on FaceTime." Seacrest, who has known his co-host for over two decades, adds, "We like to catch each other at our worst moments. We are very candid with each other. We talk everyday." The two, along with Consuelos, "are one big tricycle," Ripa says.
Host Chat, more like Coffee Talk?
Kellyisms and Ryanisms are shared in Host Chat, the segment where the dynamic duo discusses everything to anything (TV shows, 6-disc CD players, dinner times, etc). "I don't even know what we talk about," Seacrest admits. Ripa notes, "We could do three hours of nothing. We can talk about Ryan making coffee for three hours." Don't threaten Seacrest with a good time, as he's more than ready to drip on and on about the good bean. "Well, I grind the beans first," he quips. "It's not just making the coffee, Kelly." But for Ripa, it's "riveting every time."
Live With Kelly and Ryan airs weekdays, check local listings at kellyandryan.com. The show's Record Breaker Week resumes this week, and Ryan Reynolds, Naomi Watts, Tamron Hall, and Topher Grace are among the special guests.
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