Kelly Ripa Co-Host: Fred Savage Leads Pack Of Contenders For ‘Live’?

Kelly Ripa’s new co-host on Live! will soon be announced and fans are anxiously awaiting the news. The talk show host was basically left stranded after her former co-host Michael Strahan announced that he was leaving the show to head to Good Morning America on a full-time basis. It has been several weeks since Kelly has been solo on Live!, and fans are wondering if the producers are any closer to choosing a Kelly counterpart.

It has been reported that a new Live! co-host will be announced before the show takes its summer hiatus — in August (for those keeping score, that’s next month).

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, there have been quite a few names tossed into the ring. Jeff Gordon, Mario Lopez, Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Rob Lowe, and Jerry O’Connell have all been rumored top picks for Live! Kelly Ripa has been joined by guest co-hosts (many of the aforementioned names have been her co-pilots since Strahan’s exit) for weeks, many viewers believing that most of these guest co-hosts were basically “trying out” for the coveted spot.

As you can see, Kelly Ripa’s co-host search has some promising names attached. There is one name, in particular, however, that seems to really please fans — and that’s Fred Savage. The former Wonder Years actor got serious props when he co-hosted the show back in May. Fans absolutely loved Savage on Live! and thought that he and Kelly Ripa had fantastic chemistry. When he returned to co-host the show last week, he received even more praise.

While Savage really did a great job, most people thought he wouldn’t be in the running — maybe he’s just not a big enough star. Turns out, his appearances were so warmly received, he ended up being a dark horse in the running (not unlike Strahan was back in 2012).

Turns out, Fred Savage is not only a real possibility to co-host Live! with Kelly Ripa, but it sounds like he’s totally interested!

According to Entertainment Tonight, Fred Savage has been playing it cool when it comes to Live! chatter, but he recently enjoyed a dinner with Art Moore — the production manager for the show. When asked about why he was in New York recently, Fred simply said he happened to be “on vacation” with his family and the people from Live! happened to call him at the same time.

Coincidence? We think not!

“No, this is just I’m coming in town with my family, they’re meeting me here, we’re taking vacation in New York, so the timing worked out. Whenever they call, I love to come do it. It’s always a lot of fun. You know, I come in, they call me when they need me. I enjoy it so much. I love interacting with the audience. I love sitting beside Kelly — to work with someone who’s just at the top of her field is a thrill, so it’s all enjoyable,” Fred said, clearly playing coy.

If Kelly Ripa’s new co-host is Fred Savage, fans would be elated — and it sounds like Fred would be pretty ecstatic too! He is an all-around great choice and he would definitely do a great job.

“The team at the show are just total pros — Kelly’s amazing. The whole staff is just fantastic… I mean, [the fans], that’s who you do it for. So, if the people in the audience are enjoying it and responding to it, that’s why you do it,” Savage said.

Who do you want to see as Kelly Ripa’s co-host on Live!? Do you think Fred Savage is a good fit? Would you continue watching the show (or start watching it) if Fred was Kelly Ripa’s co-host?

[Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images]