Ryan Seacrest is joining "Live" as Kelly Ripa's new co-host, jump-starting a new era in the morning television ratings race. 
 
 Two sources with knowledge of the deal confirmed the news to CNN prior to Monday's broadcast, on which Ripa and Seacrest broke the news to viewers. 
 
 "Today, the next chapter of the 'Live' story is about to be written," Ripa said. 
 
 Ripa thanked all of the temporary co-hosts who had filled in during the search, saying, "They are a part of the 'Live' family forever." 
 
 She then increased the anticipation by going to commercial break before bringing Seacrest on stage. 
 
 "So happy," Seacrest said as he embraced Ripa before the audience. "So exciting." 
 
 Seacrest, one of the world's best-known broadcasters, has co-hosted "Live" five times as a guest since ABC began the search for Michael Strahan's replacement one year ago. 
 
 "Live" gives Seacrest, the former host of Fox's "American Idol," a new daily platform on network television. He will also be an executive producer on the show, according to The Hollywood Reporter, giving him at least nominally the same level of power over it that Ripa herself has. 
 
 The beloved talk show airs in many markets at 9 a.m., directly against the third hour of NBC's "Today." In the fall NBC is introducing a new 9 a.m. show led by Megyn Kelly, who recently jumped from Fox News to NBC. 
 
 Five years ago Seacrest was seen as a contender for a "Today" show co-host job. Instead, Ripa and Seacrest will be competing with Kelly. 
 
 "Live" is based in New York. Seacrest lives in Los Angeles, but he has a home in Manhattan, and he's moving to New York to start the new job. 
 
 Seacrest is already one of the busiest people in the media business. The new hosting gig will not affect other on-air and off-air roles. He recently renewed his contract to host red carpet specials for NBCUniversal's E! network, for example. 
 
 Seacrest will continue to lead his nationally syndicated radio shows for iHeartMedia. According to a source, the ABC building that houses "Live" will also have a new radio studio for Seacrest. 
 
 Seacrest is already in business with ABC as the host of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" on New Year's Eve. 
 
 The hosting deal may open the door for further business deals with ABC's parent company, Disney. 
 
 The seat next to Ripa was coveted by dozens of entertainment and news industry A-listers. 
 
 The search began when Strahan abruptly left the show for "Good Morning America" after co-hosting alongside Ripa for four years. Ripa was reportedly blindsided by the news. Strahan told her about it barely half an hour before the news leaked in the press. 
 
 Since then, Ripa's guest co-hosts have included Andy Cohen, Anderson Cooper, Jerry O'Connell, and Fred Savage. 
 
 Ripa took to Twitter on Sunday to tell her followers that she would reveal her new co-host during Monday's show. 
 
 Representatives for Ripa, Seacrest and ABC either declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment ahead of the official announcement on Monday. ||||| Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) 
 
 Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) 
 
 Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) 
 
 Kelly Ripa had a “total meltdown” after getting blindsided by the sudden departure of her “Live” co-host, Michael Strahan — spitefully calling out “sick” on Wednesday from their ABC morning talk show. 
 
 “Kelly sees this as the ultimate betrayal,” one insider told Page Six. 
 
 “There’s been a total Ripa meltdown,” said another. 
 
 The petite blond spitfire was livid to have learned the day before — after Tuesday’s “Live with Kelly and Michael” taping — that Strahan will ditch her come September to join “Good Morning America” full-time. 
 
 Neither Strahan, the former Giants football star who has been her co-host for four years, nor network brass gave Ripa advance notice of his departure, sources said. The personnel change was announced publicly soon after Ripa and the show’s executive producer, Michael Gelman, were told by brass. 
 
 Ripa called out sick on Tuesday night, leaving staff scrambling to find a replacement co-host. “Saturday Night Live” alum Ana Gasteyer filled in at Strahan’s side Wednesday. 
 
 “Kelly didn’t want to show up to work and mouth off and say something she would have regretted,” explained another insider. “She is upset and didn’t want to take it out on her own staff.” 
 
 Ripa will be out until at least next Tuesday. 
 
 “Dancing with the Stars” host and Fox sports reporter Erin Andrews subbed on Thursday. Andrews will also appear on Friday’s show, which was already scheduled to be taped Thursday. 
 
 “Pretty Little Liars” star Shay Mitchell is to co-host with Strahan on Monday. 
 
 “Some of [Kelly’s days off] may have been planned before the news broke,” a third network source said. “[The show] is dark on Friday, so there’s no show anyway, and I had heard that Kelly already planned to be off on Monday.” 
 
 “She didn’t show up for work and isn’t taking anyone’s calls,” a source said. 
 
 Ripa’s sudden sick-out left Strahan holding the bag with viewers. 
 
 “Kelly’s off today,” Strahan began at the top of Wednesday’s show. “I’ve been in the news lately,” the popular ex-NFL star acknowledged. 
 
 “I’m leaving this show to go over to ‘GMA’ full-time, which is going to happen in September,” he added. 
 
 He consoled the groaning studio audience. 
 
 “It’s the same channel!” he said. “I’m not going anywhere. I was reading some stuff that sounded like I died!” 
 
 He added, “I’ve worked with an incredible staff here, and I’m always here. I’m always available to guest co-host if I get a call because I consider myself to be a part of this family forever.” 
 
 The network’s fumbling of the job change left insiders scratching their heads. 
 
 “The plan was for there to be more time between telling Kelly and the announcement,” one source told Page Six. “But the story leaked, and the timeline got crunched.” 
 
 And while one insider derided Ripa’s sick-out as “classic diva behavior,” others thought she was justified in staging a brief, one-woman strike. 
 
 “You work on a show for 15 years and all of a sudden you’re not even told about this seismic change?” was how one put it. 
 
 Without Ripa at his side, Strahan had to address his first on-air farewell to the cameras. 
 
 “I really want to thank, of course, Kelly Ripa,” he said at the end of Wednesday’s show, to applause from the studio audience. 
 
 “Kelly welcomed me here, and I’ve learned so much from her, and she’s just been an amazing influence on me,” he said. “This has truly changed my life to be here with her . . . Kelly, I thank you. I love you.” 
 
 When asked to comment on Ripa’s absence, a “Live” spokesperson said only, “Kelly had the day off today.” 
 
 Sources have told Page Six that Ripa’s close pal, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, is the front-runner to replace Strahan. 
 
 Additional reporting by Emily Smith and Laura Italiano
– ABC is apparently going big with Kelly Ripa's new morning co-host: CNN reports that Live With Kelly is about to become Live With Kelly and Ryan—yes, Ryan Seacrest. Ripa will announce the replacement for her most recent co-host, Michael Strahan, during Monday's show. The former American Idol host lives in Los Angeles, but he also has a home in New York and is expected to move there for the show. Live airs at 9am in many markets, which means it will go head to head with former Fox host Megyn Kelly's NBC show when that launches in the fall. Seacrest, 42, is expected to keep his national radio show for iHeartMedia. (Here are 5 facts you may not know about Seacrest.)