Kelly Ripa Co-Host: September Guest Hosts Revealed As Decision Looms
The Kelly Ripa co-host quest continues as Ripa has announced her Live with Kelly co-host guests through mid-September. Will Kelly eventually decide on a co-host winner to take the throne as her permanent broadcasting partner? The Live crew may be stretching out Ripa’s guest-hosting timeline as a ratings booster rather than hastily deciding on a new co-host sidekick for the queen of morning talk shows.
Kelly's guest co-hosts week of September 5th & 12th! #LiveKelly #LiveKellyCohost pic.twitter.com/BpBMhvFIkX
— LIVEKellyRyan (@LiveKellyRyan) August 24, 2016
As reported by the Inquisitr, Kelly Ripa’s co-hosts for the early days of September were already announced during a previous week. Once August ends, Kelly will be joined by classical music singer Josh Groban as Live guest co-host on Thursday, September 1. Ripa will then find that Friday’s co-host is Chicago Bull Dwyane Wade as the professional basketball player ends the week on Live with Kelly for September 2.
Ripa’s just-announced Live guest hosts through the first half of September include a couple of familiar faces among the fray as well as some new and unexpected co-host choices. The week of September 5 begins with an infusion of star power as actor Christian Slater accompanies Ripa that Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday, September 6 and 7, finds Boyz n the Hood actor Morris Chestnut as Kelly’s co-host.
Fan favorite guest co-host Anderson Cooper returns to Ripa’s side for the Live with Kelly broadcasts on Thursday, September 8, and Friday, September 9. The following week will have Kelly joined by Chris Harrison on Monday, September 12, Michael Weatherly on Tuesday, September 13, and beloved entertainer Neil Patrick Harris, ending that week as co-host from Wednesday, September 14, through Friday, September 16.
Kelly recently posted a photo on Instagram of her three kids — Michael and his siblings, 15-year-old Lola and 13-year-old Joaquin. E! points out that Ripa joked on Live of her plans for Michael’s bedroom once he’s at school.
“That bedroom is going to be turned into a mega closet before you can say ‘university.'”
Kelly Ripa’s co-host hunt has been underway since May, when former Live sidekick Michael Strahan left Kelly’s show for a spot on Good Morning America. Tension was reportedly high during the transition, as multiple media accounts confirmed that Ripa was blindsided with Strahan’s decision. Kelly supposedly found out about his exit the same day he announced it on the formerly-titled Live with Kelly and Michael.
Recent fan conjecture posits favored fill-in co-hosts like former child star Fred Savage or Rebecca Romijn’s husband, Jerry O’Connell, as the probable pick for a permanent co-host for Kelly Ripa. Other Live with Kelly fan picks for co-host appear to be the forenamed newsman, Anderson Cooper, or even previous Live guest co-host underdogs, such as dancer Carrie-Ann Inaba, actor Jussie Smollett, or comedian Keegan-Michael Key.
Word of Ripa’s new Live co-host winner may be further off than previously thought. As Live benefits from the popularity of an exciting string of rotating guest hosts, they may simply postpone a permanent host decision indefinitely. It was formerly believed that an announcement would be coming with the fall television season. Will a new Live co-host for Kelly Ripa be revealed by year’s end?
Who do you think should be Ripa’s new Live partner? Are you still holding out hope for an announcement of Jerry O’Connell or Fred Savage as the co-hosting champion? Do you think Ripa will ever settle for a new hosting colleague? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
[Photo by Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for FIJI Water]
