Here's why Ryan Seacrest is back on Live With Kelly & Mark this week

Ryan Seacrest is back on Live... sort of.

While the Live With Kelly & Mark team takes a brief break for summer vacation, Kelly Ripa's former cohost and on-air work husband returned to the set on Tuesday's episode for the first of several pre-taped segments featuring new footage, host chats, trivia segments, and fan-favorite interview moments filmed ahead of Seacrest's official exit. Seacrest even referenced Tuesday's date, June 20, by name at the top of the previously recorded intro for the first installment of the slate of episodes set to air throughout the summer.

Seacrest will appear in pre-filmed segments throughout this week, and again across the show's upcoming summer season, which will also feature Ripa's real-life husband and current cohost, Mark Consuelos, welcoming guest hosts like Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Maria Menounos, and more.

WABC-TV Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest on 'Live With Kelly & Mark'

Ripa will join Consuelos for a special Fourth of July episode that will feature a Jake Shears performance and an appearance from actress Nina Dobrev, who will play Independence Day-themed games with the audience.

Following the holiday installment, "Aches and Pains Week" will run from July 17-21, featuring health and body tips and interview guests including Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Steph Curry, and Kevin and Franklin Jonas.

After that, "Dog Days of Summer Week" runs from July 24-28, highlighting dogs available for adoption.

Seacrest initially announced his Live departure on Feb. 16, and his final show as permanent cohost aired in April. The American Idol host did, however, return to the show as an interview subject one month later, where he — much to Ripa's amusement — crawled across the set on all fours.

Live With Kelly & Mark airs weekdays in syndication. Check our local listings for showtimes in your area.

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