Ryan Seacrest Reportedly Has No Plans To Quit ‘Live’ After Leaving New York

Ryan Seacrest reportedly has no plans to walk away from Live with Kelly and Ryan, despite leaving New York City and heading home to Los Angeles amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to a new report from Us Weekly, in spite of recent reports to the contrary, the TV host will head back to the Big Apple to continue on with the show once it’s safe.

An insider close to the American Idol host denied rampant speculation from fans and some gossip outlets that suggested Ryan could potentially be ready to say “bye-bye” to Live around two years after he became Kelly Ripa’s permanent co-host. Rumors suggested that he planned to stay in Los Angeles permanently going forward, meaning he likely would not stay with the show, which usually films in front of a live studio audience in New York City.

However, according to a source who spoke to the magazine this week, “There is no truth to the rumor he’s not moving back to New York.”

“He will go back when the show decides it’s safe to start up production again at the Live set in New York.”

He initially made the big move from L.A. to New York in 2017 in order to become Kelly’s co-host.

Ryan and Kelly have both filmed new episodes of the ABC daytime talk show remotely over the past few weeks due to the ongoing pandemic. Ryan has been appearing on camera from his West Coast home. Meanwhile, Kelly has filmed new episodes from the Caribbean after she and her family, including husband Mark Consuelos, headed out on vacation prior to the outbreak. They then decided to shelter in place rather than return to New York and have been there ever since.

Closer Weekly had previously speculated that Ryan may decide to stay in California permanently and cut down on his workload in order to focus on his health.

Last month, some viewers expressed concerns about his health and even speculated that he may have had a stroke during the Season 18 finale episode of American Idol.

Ryan appeared to slur his words slightly and his right eye appeared swollen and slightly closed, despite the host being perfectly fine for the first part of the May 17 episode. He then did not appear on the next episode of Live the following morning.

However, his rep denied that he had suffered a stroke and said that he was still adjusting to having to work from home.

Us Weekly’s insider seemed to corroborate that story this week. As well as shutting down reports he won’t be heading back to New York, they added that “Ryan is doing well.”