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Ryan Seacrest was noticeably absent on Monday from “Live with Kelly and Ryan” and fans were worried. Kelly Ripa hosted the show on Monday solo and announced on the show’s official Instagram page that her co-host “took the day off.” But when he didn’t show up Tuesday, they explained that he was awaiting a COVID-19 test. Ripa addressed the limited, masked studio audience and explained, “We have all of these new restrictions now so this is why we have to wait until he comes back negative for him to get in here. We take it seriously.”
According to People, Seacrest “had a minimal cough, and out of precaution wanted to make sure he had a negative test before going back to Live, which he did.” “He will be back in the chair tomorrow,” the source added. On Tuesday, the show’s Instagram account shared another video of Ripa on set sitting at the show’s New York City studio explaining the situation. They announced in the caption, “UPDATE: Great news.. test came back and he’s negative! Ryan will be back tomorrow!” Ripa’s solo performance had mixed reviews on Instagram but many loved her one-woman show. “I am legitimately HOWLING at Kelly this morning! HILARIOUS!” one fan wrote. “Oh boy, get her a co anchor - failing as a stand up comedian! Turning off now!” A hater expressed. Another defended Ripa and commented, “Kelly, on her own, is AMAZING!!! 😍❤️👏👏👏”
Us Weekly reported that the duo went back to hosting together in the studio in September after working remotely for months during Quarantine. Their first episode back from home featured an outdoor cookout for Labor Day. They returned the next day to the iconic New York City studio where they’ve been throughout the season with new restrictions. Seacrest recently opened up to Entertainment Tonight and shared some secrets on set. The show did some Hollywood magic with technology to make it seem like the hosts were sitting closer to each other than they actually were. “I guess if I move my arm on that show it disappears,” Seacrest explained. The duo has been the hosts of the daytime talk show since 2017.
