INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Kelly Ripa Co-Host: Who’s Winning According To The Ratings?

By Niki Cruz
Published on: 05:55 PST, Nov 22, 2016

Kelly Ripa’s co-host still hasn’t been announced yet, and despite going six months without a permanent fixture on Live! with Kelly, ABC seems to be doing just fine in the ratings game. That’s because Kelly Ripa and her rotating guest co-hosts have pulled in major audiences for the show.

Instead of fixing an assumed “problem,” it looks like the producers and Ripa want to drag this out to find the right person that will sit well with audiences and Kelly. By doing so, they’re also taking advantage of the fact that each guest co-host is bringing in all kinds of big ratings, giving a much-needed boost to the veteran show.

So, when it comes down to Kelly Ripa’s co-host, which guest host is ahead of the rest in terms of ratings? Well, according to the Wrap, at the top of the list is Jimmy Kimmel, whose May 16 episode scored a 3.3 rating. Empire’s Jussie Smollett, who has been a favorite among viewers scored a 3.1 rating on his May 17 episode. His May 30 episode scored a successful 3.0 rating.

This isn’t the only time the discussion of ratings has come up in regard to the new permanent co-host on Live! with Kelly. As the Inquisitr reported, it was none other than Megyn Kelly who drew fantastic ratings for the show. The queen of Fox News, who was the political commentator who became embroiled in a public media battle with President-elect Donald Trump, pulled in the highest ratings since Michael Strahan departed the show.

Interestingly enough, as far as Kelly Ripa’s co-hosts go, Megyn Kelly was the first woman to sit next to Ripa, as it’s suspected that ABC and Ripa are looking for a male counterpart to balance the Live! chemistry. That said, it’s unlikely that Kelly will actually consider taking the job opposite Ripa due to her already demanding schedule with Fox News. The same was said for popular recurring guest co-host Anderson Cooper.

At one point it looked like Anderson Cooper was the favorite to take over for Michael Strahan after the former NFL player left for Good Morning America, but as it turns out, after flirting with the possibility, Cooper re-upped his contract with CNN, which took him out of the running. His contract with CNN would take most of his time as he will continue to lead Anderson Cooper 360, and he will also guest on the news program, 60 Minutes.

When it came to Anderson Cooper, he was Kelly Ripa’s co-host to beat, mostly because he was said to be Ripa’s favorite for a long time, but that ship has sailed.

Despite losing Cooper as a possibility, the pool has expanded outside of the celebrity realm and into unfamiliar territory. After holding a contest that let viewers at home vote for a regular Joe (or Jane) for a guest slot on the show, high school teacher Richard Curtis beat out twenty other contestants on the show for his chance to sit across from Kelly Ripa for the day.

That said, what no one expected was for viewers and audience members to fall in love with his natural chemistry. In a curve ball of a move, producers asked Curtis to come back to guest co-host for a second time, which leaves the future uncertain as to whether or not ABC and Ripa will reach out to Curtis for a permanent position.

Actor Jerry O’Connell has also weathered months of being a recurring guest co-host for the show. The enthusiastic actor has been guest co-hosting since May and was recently tasked with being Ripa’s partner for the Live! special Halloween episode, which saw the duo dress up in multiple costumes. As far as the show’s history goes, it was a huge push for O’Connell to be a part of such a well-known themed episode, and it shows that producers have confidence in him.

Who do you think Kelly Ripa will choose as her permanent co-host?

[Featured Image by Rob Kim/Getty Images]

Share this article: Kelly Ripa Co-Host: Who’s Winning According To The Ratings?
Jerry OConnell kelly ripa megyn kelly michael strahan
More from Inquisitr