Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest have developed quite the bond while working together on Live with Kelly and Ryan.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, the co-hosts showered each other with compliments while reflecting on their time together on Live, and Seacrest was so moved by Ripa's words that he started to get teary-eyed.
In the interview, Ripa gushed, "Working with your friends is a great privilege. It is a joy, and I have to say that it is a rare thing to work with a guy who is so authentic and fun and joyful and humble and generous and kind to everyone. What you see of Ryan on the air is the person he is backstage, which is a unique thing."
Ripa also added that she was grateful to have a co-host who brought "joyfulness and enthusiasm and professionalism" to the team.
A misty-eyed Seacrest, who joined the show as Ripa's co-host in 2017, responded with, "I'm using every ounce of energy to fight back tears right now, while she's saying that. We do a television show, but it's not just a television show. We come in and we literally have our first cup of coffee together and catch up with each other as friends do, and that's the dynamic we hope we have with people who are watching as well."
It turns out that the pair's effortless, on-air chemistry is the result of their genuine friendship, which, according to Ripa, has grown so much that they now text each other before every show. Ripa said, "What's interesting is we usually text each other 15 times before the show. Yet we still have things to say on the air, which is weird. It's a weird codependency. We're happy to have our psychiatric episodes unfold before everyone on live TV."
While speaking about Ripa, Seacrest praised the co-host for her wisdom and amazing work ethic. He revealed, "To work with this amazing individual is an incredible thing. I learned so much from her, not just [about] being on the air but about life. I mean, she's a remarkable colleague, the most amazing mother and wife and I get to see all sides of that."
It's no wonder these two practically live together at the Live studio.
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