Kelly Ripa’s Return to the ‘Live’ Studio Looked Nothing Like We Expected

After a highly amusing virtual hiatus, Kelly Ripa returned to the studio on Tuesday to resume normal production on Live with Kelly and Ryan. While we were expecting the popular talk show to pick up right where things left off, that wasn’t actually the case.

In honor of the long-awaited return, producers flooded the official Live with Kelly and Ryan Instagram page with behind-the-scenes photos of Ripa’s reunion with her co-host, Ryan Seacrest.

Unlike past seasons (which featured the duo sitting side by side), the new episodes will follow all social distancing guidelines. This means Ripa and Seacrest will remain six feet apart, as shown in the below photo. Producers will then edit the shot to make it look business as usual.

The caption read, “Tune in now! It’s an optical illusion!”

There’s also a BTS video, which features a rare glimpse of the show’s production team. The clip shows a montage of scenes, followed by footage of Ripa and Seacrest arriving at the studio. Although they’re not allowed to touch each other, the pair proceed to greet one another with a “tush touch,” which consists of bumping their (fully clothed) butts.

The talk show also confirmed that the episode’s guest star, John Leguizamo, was present in the studio.

The last photo features Ripa and Seacrest wearing hazmat suits (because why not?).