Kelly Ripa 'LIVE' Replacement Revealed While Co-Host Takes Time Off

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Kelly Ripa will not be joining co-host Ryan Seacrest to greet America on their daily morning show, "LIVE with Kelly and Ryan," but producers have tapped famous face to join Seacrest while his #1 is apparently taking a few days off. The action kicked off Monday morning at ABC Studios in New York City, and as many fans flocked to the show's Instagram page to check the designer outfit that Kelly Ripa would be wearing on the show, they were surprised to find out that she was subbed out for another co-host.

LIVE with Kelly and Ryan

The guest co-host for Kelly Ripa was revealed to be Maria Menounos! The entertainment reporter and TV personality was elated to be appearing on "LIVE," and in video taken behind-the-scenes, could not wait to make her entrance.

Fans of "LIVE with Kelly and Ryan" were also pretty excited about Menounos joining the show and seemed to think Ryan Seacrest would play a bigger role in the conversation without his regular confidante.

"I'm so happy for Ryan he can tell a story with out Kelly making about her," one fan quipped on Instagram.

"Ryan is finally able to talk!! Yay!" another user declared on social media.

After Maria Menounos' "LIVE" debut, she was definitely excited about the fun she had on set, and also looking forward to returning to fill in for Kelly Ripa, for at least one more day.

"Hello beautiful weather! Hello NYC! Nice to see you back in action. @livekellyandryan was so fun today-if you watched-I reaaaaaally thought I was gonna guess right! My dad has two birthdays too! ? anyway, fun day and more to come tomorrow when I fill in for the beautiful and talented #kellyripa again. See you tomorrow am!"

It's unclear why Kelly Ripa is absent from her "LIVE" show alongside Ryan Seacrest this week, but it's possible she's getting in some vacation time with husband Mark Consuelos during Spring Break.

It's not the first time the regular co-hosts have taken time off, as Ryan Seacrest was absent from the show last year while waiting on results from a COVID-19 test. He ended up testing negative, but while he was out, Kelly Ripa held the show down solo without a co-host.