Ryan Seacrest got emotional Friday as Mark Consuelos, who is set to take over for him on “Live,” shared a touching message ahead of the host’s departure from the morning talk show.
The tribute came after Seacrest announced this week that he’d leave “Live” in the spring after six years on the job. Consuelos will take on a gig once held by the likes of the late Regis Philbin and “Good Morning America” co-anchor Michael Strahan.
During Friday’s episode of “Live,” Seacrest said Consuelos was like a brother to him.
“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,” Seacrest said, referring to co-host Kelly Ripa.
Consuelos replied that Seacrest was the best person he could have wanted to co-host alongside Ripa in recent years.
“You’re a true friend. You’re a brother. You’re generous to my wife, to my whole family,” said Consuelos as Seacrest began to get tears in his eyes.
“That chair that you’re sitting in, it’s an iconic seat,” he continued. “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. But thank you, man.”
The former “All My Children” actor said his decision to start working together with his wife on “Live” wasn’t a tough one.
“We did this before in much more difficult circumstances,” Consuelos said.
“We worked together on a soap opera for seven years. We were scene partners. We worked 12-hour days usually, hour-and-a-half commute both ways. ... We’ve done it — I’m not nervous.”