Ryan Seacrest has just announced his permanent departure from Live With Kelly and Ryan, with co-host Kelly Ripa's husband Mark Consuelos to take Ryan's place permanently.
Kelly and Ryan had been part of ABC's syndicated daytime show since 2017, becoming close friends with each other during their time on the much-loved series.
News of the shake-up was revealed by Ryan, 48, on Thursday (February 16) in a statement obtained by PEOPLE, which revealed that it was a "bittersweet" and "tough, tough" decision for himself to make.
It's thought that Ryan will relocate from New York back to the west coast in spring, ahead of the American Idol live shows in Los Angeles - with his and Kelly's show set to be rebranded as Live With Kelly and Mark.
"Working alongside Kelly over the past six years has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career," Seacrest said in his statement. "She has been an amazing partner, friend, and confidant, and although we will always be a part of each other's lives, I will miss our mornings together."
"I also want to thank [executive producer] Michael Gelman and the entire staff and crew - we've made memories to last a lifetime, met some of the most incredible people and had the warmest welcome into the homes of so many viewers across America," he added. "It's been a memorable ride and now I'm excited to pass the baton to Kelly's 'real' husband, Mark."
Ryan - who has produced a number of popular TV series like Keeping Up With the Kardashians and its subsequent spin-offs like Khloe and Lamar - even paid sweet tribute to his "work wife" on Instagram, writing: "I'm going to miss my work wife and all the laughter we share. When I signed on to host Live in 2017 it was meant to be for 3 years, but I loved the job and working with Kelly so much that I extended my time and last year I made the decision to stay on for one more final season.
"I've been grateful to be able to share a cup of coffee with our viewers everyday, one of the best parts of the gig. I'll be transitioning out of Live this Spring to shoot the 21st season of American Idol in LA, continue my radio show on KIIS-FM and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve, and focus my summer on opening three more Ryan Seacrest Foundation Studios in pediatric hospitals across the country," the caption continued.
"I'm looking forward to coming back to guest host in the future and Kelly, I promise to forever share my food photos, chicken eggs, and olive oil with you. And congratulations to my brother Mark, feel free to remodel my dressing room!" it concluded.
On Thursday's show, Kelly bid an emotional farewell to Ryan, telling him (via PEOPLE): "I can't thank you enough on all of our behalf. There is nobody else like you. There is nobody who can really do what you do. I know you in real life as well as TV life. I say this about very few people: what you see is what you get. This is not an act, this is a good man. I am so endlessly impressed by you."
