'Live With Kelly And Ryan' Gig Reportedly Gives Ryan Seacrest Bigger Paycheck Than Kelly Ripa

More than a year since Michael Strahan left her without a co-host, Kelly Ripa has finally settled on a new one. Occasional guest host Ryan Seacrest has accepted the full-time co-hosting job in the now retitled “Live With Kelly and Ryan.” The deal that was announced on air on Monday will reportedly result into Seacrest taking home a bigger paycheck than Ripa.

While the details of Ryan Seacrest’s new contract have not been released, it is said to be easily worth millions of dollars annually. Some estimates put his annual salary last year to be $55 million reports Time. In contrast, Kelly Ripa took home an estimated $17 million in 2016.

In addition to co-hosting, Ryan Seacrest will also become an executive producer of the long-running daytime talk show according to The Hollywood Reporter. Kelly Ripa appears to have a significant hand in the selection of her permanent co-host. She too has been made an executive producer in her last deal as a result of ABC’s wrong handling of Strahan’s departure last year.

It could be remembered that Kelly Ripa was kept in the dark by the network on Strahan’s transfer from “Live” to “Good Morning America.” She only came to know about it a few minutes before the viewers did. Needless to say, she felt betrayed and initially boycotted her own show, to only return with a lot of candor and humor on what happened.

The relocation that Ryan Seacrest has to make for the show comes with some complications. He has long been based in Los Angeles where he hosts a local and nationally syndicated daily radio show aside from managing a production company. Reports say that his Ryan Seacrest Productions and Ryan Seacrest Enterprises will remain in LA but his radio work will be transitioned to New York.

Ryan Seacrest’s "On-Air With Ryan" has a collective reach of nearly 35 million monthly. This is why a brand new iHeart Radio studio is being readied for him at the “Live With Kelly and Ryan" studio. Seacrest will also continue hosting award show red carpet specials on E! as well as ABC’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. Conditions of his other efforts such as producing “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and “Shades of Blue,” fashion collection (Ryan Seacrest Distinction), other business and philanthropic pursuits will be unchanged.

Do you think that Kelly Ripa picked the right man as her co-host for “Live With Kelly and Ryan?” Share us your thoughts regarding Ryan Seacrest’s newest venture in the comments section below.