Ryan Seacrest & Kelly Ripa Tension Reportedly Grows As Ratings ‘Free-Fall’

Ryan Seacrest and Kelly Ripa have been working together for a couple of weeks now and reports of tension between the two have surfaced quite a bit. With the negativity put forth by the media, it’s no surprise to hear that the show, Live! With Kelly & Ryan, is experiencing lower-than-normal ratings.

According to The Wrap, the show has taken a fairly big hit when it comes to ratings. Since Seacrest was announced as Ripa’s new co-host earlier this month, the ratings have dipped significantly.

“[The show] declined 12 percent in TV ratings from the relaunched series’ Week 1 to Week 2,” The Wrap reported. The site adds that the drop was almost to be expected following the height of the excitement surrounding Ripa’s big co-host announcement.

“A drop should be expected after all the instant buzz surrounding Ryan Seacrest’s surprise start in the permanent co-host chair, though Disney-ABC sure would have preferred the slip stay within single digits on a percentage basis,” reports The Wrap.

According to Radar Online, the drop in ratings is only made worse by the “fact” that Ripa and Seacrest aren’t getting along.

“Kelly wanted someone she could boss around — and that isn’t Ryan. Kelly is certainly a big star now, but she’s learning that she’s not big enough to call the shots when it comes to who’ll be sitting beside her when the cameras roll. That’s got to hurt,” a source previously told Radar Online.

Ever since Seacrest was announced as Ripa’s permanent co-host, there have been rumors about their relationship and about their chemistry. Some have gone so far as to say that Seacrest wasn’t Ripa’s first choice and that was sort of stuck when it came to options.

Of course, it is unknown if there’s any truth to the rumors. However, for nearly a year, fans of Live! had been hearing all kinds of names being tossed around and Seacrest’s name wasn’t anywhere near the top. Rumored names included Andy Cohen, Anderson Cooper, Fred Savage, and Jerry O’Connell. Fans had already chosen their favorite co-host option, but many were disappointed when none of the rumored frontrunners landed the gig.

“He’s as big of a star as she is! Maybe even bigger. Kelly preferred someone less well-known,” the source added.

Regardless, Ripa has been putting on a happy face each morning as she sits next to Seacrest and discusses life. About a week ago, Ripa posted a throwback photo of her and Seacrest that was taken in 2011. Perhaps this was her way of smoothing the media’s wrinkles — who knows?

New reports indicate that Ryan Seacrest is being sought to return as the host of the revamped American Idol, which is heading to ABC in 2018. Some people are wondering how the radio host is going to be able to balance all of his gigs — or if he will leave Live! in order to go back to Idol. He hasn’t said much about being offered a deal, but it would be pretty hard for Idol to make a comeback without Seacrest — he was very much the “voice” of the show while it was on Fox.

Details of Seacrest’s contract on Live! are unclear. If he only signed a one-year deal, it’s possible that he will leave and head back to Los Angeles. Everything is up in the air at this point, but it definitely seems like Ripa could be stuck without a co-host once again.

A Live! spokesperson has reached out to Inquisitr with a statement.

“Kelly and Ryan are having a great time together, and their chemistry is apparent to anyone who watches the show. And Live! remains the top-rated entertainment talk show in all of daytime.”

Do you like Ryan Seacrest on Live! With Kelly & Ryan? Do you think Seacrest would leave Live! to return to American Idol? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.

[Featured Image by Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and TV Distribution/Pawel Kaminski]