INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Kelly Ripa Co-Host: Fan Favorite Out Of The Running For ‘Live’

By Niki Cruz
Published on: 05:00 PST, Oct 5, 2016

Kelly Ripa’s co-host is still up for grabs, and it looks like one fan favorite is out of the running. As the Inquisitr reported, there’s a ton of fan favorites to consider. For one, Jerry O’Connell has been in the race from the very beginning.

Back in August, O’Connell was dropping hints that he was up to replace Michael Strahan by gushing about Kelly Ripa, who he has guest co-hosted Live! with several times over the years.

“I would do anything Kelly asks. She is the sweetest … I loved hosting with her. I’m in awe of her.”

He went on to compliment Ripa about being able to balance her family life and the busy gig.

“She has it all figured out as a parent. It’s incredible to see how she’s found balance with career, marriage, and parenthood.”

Regarding being Kelly Ripa’s co-host, the Inquisitr pointed out early on that Jerry O’Connell had great chemistry that seemed to jive with both Ripa and audiences.

https://youtu.be/o90qkQYnLIs

Another potential co-host that audiences seemed to gravitate towards is Fred Savage. It’s not surprising to hear that in July, he was a frontrunner to co-host Live! For decades, Savage’s name and face have been in the background of people’s minds from playing Kevin Arnold in the popular 80s show The Wonder Years. When asked about the gig, ET reported that he wasn’t exactly coy when talking about being co-host. “I feel very comfortable now,” and his daughter Lily revealed, “he really likes co-hosting with Kelly.”

Despite the obvious frontrunners for Kelly Ripa’s co-host spot, the Inquisitr reported that an unlikely face emerged as a potential favorite. Former Criminal Minds star Shemar Moore really perked up viewers when he guest co-hosted Live!

Moore is currently looking to start the next chapter of his career, and it wouldn’t be a shock to find out that he wants to make a transition from actor to co-host, as many have done it in the past. It’s believed that in terms of his next chapter, Shemar is really looking for a gig that will give him freedom with his family, while still balancing a job. Given that working as an actor on TV sometimes leads to 17-hour work days, it’s a no-brainer that Moore would look into a morning gig to balance his schedule out.

While ABC has been hard at work trying to find a suitable replacement for Kelly Ripa’s co-host, Ripa herself always had her eye on a fan favorite who is now out of the running completely. According to the Wrap, Anderson Cooper, who Ripa has had her sights on in the past, has just signed a new deal with CNN that would take him away from a potential co-host gig. This comes as a huge shock, because audiences seemed to respond to Anderson Cooper, and it looked like both Kelly and Anderson were up to co-host Live! together if they could get their schedules to work.

As it turns out, it doesn’t look like they’re going to be able to make it work in the end. His numerous guest co-hosting duties are coming to an end, as the anchor has signed a “long-term deal” with CNN, which is the network he’s called home for fifteen years. Variety reported that Cooper would continue to head up Anderson Cooper 360 as well as make appearances on the CBS show 60 Minutes.

“One of the facets that influenced Cooper’s decision to re-up with CNN was the cabler’s improvement in primetime ratings. The mix of documentary and unscripted series in primetime, where unscripted talent such as Anthony Bourdain and W. Kamau Bell have found a home under CNN president Jeff Zucker, takes the pressure off the main anchors when news is light.”

Before re-upping his deal with CNN, back in June, ET reported Cooper “made it clear” that he was all in to co-host Live! with Kelly Ripa, but it seems like a lot changed in a few months.

[Featured Image by Mark Davis/Getty Images]

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