Ryan Seacrest reveals the goodbye gift Kelly Ripa gave him for ‘Live’ exit
Kelly Ripa and her husband, Mark Consuelos, gifted Ryan Seacrest the “perfect” farewell present on his final day — designer golf gear.
“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,” Seacrest, 48, told People on Friday following his final appearance as co-host on “Live With Kelly and Ryan.”
The thoughtful gift — which Seacrest affectionately compared to a “large purse” — came from both Ripa and Consuelos, the latter of whom is set to replace the “American Idol” host on the talk show.
Explaining why the couple’s gift was just so “perfect,” Seacrest added, “I’m starting to get sporty now. I’m into tennis, I’m into golf — meaning I’ve gotten some equipment.”
“I can’t wait to get out and use it,” he said. “It was so generous of them.”
Ripa, 52, and Consuelos, also 52, included another aspect of Seacrest’s farewell gift that stayed on brand with the married couple’s crude humor.
The “On Air With Ryan Seacrest” host shared that the present included “custom-made golf balls” with his face pictured alongside the inscription, “Ryan’s balls.”
“Because fundamentally, inside of me, is a 12-year-old boy. I just found that very funny,” Ripa shared during the interview.
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The “All My Children” alum gave a tearful farewell speech on the final show, gushing over her friendship and years working with the multi-hyphenate.
“This has, without question, been the fastest six years of my life, and although you and I have been friends for decades and decades, I feel like I’ve gained through this process a younger brother, oldest son,” Ripa said.
Seacrest also raved over his co-host, telling People, “She’s family to me. There’s no one better in the business and it’s going to be strange not seeing her every day.”
Even Seacrest’s rarely-seen girlfriend, Aubrey Paige, 25, was in attendance with his parents and only sibling for the final episode.
The TV personality is now moving back to Los Angeles from New York after splitting his time between the morning talk show and “American Idol.”
He shocked viewers after announcing his exit from the popular morning show in February.
“What I plan to do is once ‘American Idol’ starts from Los Angeles later this spring, I’ll head out to the West Coast and host that show,” he explained at the time, reassuring fans that he will “guest host and fill in” from time to time.
Consuelos will be the fourth host Ripa has worked with after originally joining Regis Philbin on the show in 2001 as Kathie Lee Gifford’s replacement.
