Ryan Seacrest is officially off-air on “Live with Kelly and Ryan”.
Following the co-host’s emotional Friday farewell show, Seacrest took to Instagram to share some behind-the-scenes photos of his final day on set after six successful seasons.
“I’m going to miss my ‘Live’ family, there’s no other place like it,” he captioned a series of pics, which included multiple snapshots of him and co-host Kelly Ripa sharing sweet embraces. He also shared group shots alongside his friends, family and colleagues posing with a rectangular-shaped cake, mimicking a sardine can that read “Seacrest Sardines.”
READ MORE: Ryan Seacrest Had Been Contemplating Leaving ‘Live With Kelly And Ryan’ For Years, Source Says
“I’ll miss the red herrings, the on-air spills, the street snow angels to horseback riding, to breaking world records (or trying to),” the 48-year-old continued, adding that he’ll also miss “the Halloween show” before noting, “that’s actually a lie, that shows a lot of work and no-one works harder than the crew and the producers to make it all happen.”
“I’ll miss all of it,” he went on, “especially sharing a cup of coffee with everyone in the morning, watching at home. I’m truly grateful and honoured to have been a part of it for 6 years. Thank you.”
Seacrest’s girlfriend Aubrey Paige, who made a rare appearance for his final show, shared his post to her Story, writing, “Cheers to you my love.”
Later, she showered her beau with love and affection as she congratulated him in her own post.
“Ryan, never have I ever met a more inspiring man. You make it look so easy, but the truth is there is just nobody quite like you. I am so beyond proud of you. Not just for your work ethic, but for your caring heart and the genuine love that you give to others,” Paige, 26, wrote in part.
Among those who Seacrest will miss is his longtime friend and colleague, Ripa, whom he called in his post the “leader” of the show and “family to me.” After their final episode together, the two chatted with People about the custom going-away gift Kelly and her husband Mark Consuelos, whom will be replacing Seacrest, gave him before his final onscreen appearance.
“She gave me something special,” Seacrest told the publication. “I’m starting to get sporty now. I’m into tennis, I’m into golf — meaning I’ve gotten some equipment. Kelly has heard and seen the photo evidence of me wanting to get into golf. So she and Mark purchased me the most beautiful, elegant, designer golf bag that now I have.”
He added that the gift is “perfect” for his new golf clubs and that he “can’t wait to get out and use it.”
“It was so generous of them.”
But, that’s not all the couple gifted Seacrest. Kelly, 52, revealed that the “best part were [the] custom-made balls.”
“Oh yes,” the broadcaster chimed in. “She and Mark gave me these beautiful custom-made golf balls with my face on them and it says on the ball, ‘Ryan’s Balls.'”
“Because fundamentally, inside of me, is a 12-year-old boy,” Kelly joked. “I just found that very funny.”
Now that Seacrest has wrapped “Live”, he’ll be moving back to Los Angeles from New York. However, according to Kelly, the retiree is “forever adopted.”
“He’s forever a New Yorker and forever a ‘Live’ co-host, whether he likes it or not.”
