Ryan Seacrest In Tears During Emotional 'Live' Conversation With Kelly Ripa's Husband

Ryan Seacrest had an emotional breakdown during a recent episode of "Live With Kelly and Ryan" while talking to Mark Consuelos. Consuelos is set to replace Seacrest as co-host on the show, but he'll still occasionally return as a guest host.

Consuelos is Kelly Ripa's husband and was featured on the Friday episode to pay tribute to his predecessor. Seacrest praised Consuelos heavily during the episode, talking about the memories they built together on the show. Consuelos returned the compliments, saying the TV host is like family to him and he's honored to be his successor.

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During a Friday episode of "Live with Kelly and Ryan," Ryan Seacrest got emotional while talking to his replacement, Mark Consuelos. According to Entertainment Weekly, Seacrest welcomed Consuelos to the talk show after announcing that he was stepping down as co-host after six years.

In his announcement, Seacrest said he'd decided to step down mainly because of a desire to move to Los Angeles and focus more on hosting "American Idol." He said, "This is something that [Kelly] and I have been talking about for a long time, and it was a tough, tough decision."

Seacrest continued, The Post, "Last year we spoke, and I made the decision to make this my last season as co-host." The TV personality, however, explained that his exit isn't permanent and he'll still feature as a special guest host occasionally. Seacrest will also remain as the co-host with Ripa until Spring, when his departure becomes final.

After it was confirmed that Seacrest would be stepping down, the show revealed that Consuelos, Ripa's husband, would take over the vacant seat. The network is also rebranding the show to a new title, "Live with Kelly and Mark."

During the Friday episode, Ripa said, "The only person I can think of that is capable of holding [Ryan's] torch the way [he has] held it would be my husband, Mark Consuelos." The "Riverdale" actor was featured to pay tribute to Seacrest, who shared his appreciation of Consuelos.

He said, "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. The three of us sat — before I moved out here — and had real conversations about doing this for a few years. 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 returned Seacrest's compliments and said he was glad the TV personality had become like a brother to him. He said, "I couldn't think of a better person to sit next to my wife for the past six years. 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."

The "Queen of the South" actor also spoke about how Seacrest's chair and position in the show is "an iconic seat" Consuelos also expressed his appreciation for being offered the position, saying, "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."

An insider at ABC recently spoke to Page Six and revealed that Seacrest's exit from the talk show wasn't a surprise. They revealed that the co-host had been feeling the effect of the heavy workload from the talk show, his co-host position, and his radio show, along with many other commitments.

The source said, "Some of Ryan's absences created tension with everyone involved on the show. But everyone cares about him and respects him and just wants to make sure he's OK." Meanwhile, Ripa, who's been on the show for over 23 years, has hardly ever missed a day of work.

The source further said, "They started talking about Ryan leaving last summer, and when they announced Ryan's departure, both Kelly and Ryan wanted to put whatever issues — arising from the workplace and Ryan's other responsibilities — they had behind them. They've known each other for 20 years and, regardless of recent strains, it is a real friendship."