Kelly Ripa Co-Host: Anderson Cooper Guest Hosts, Proves He’s Still A Frontrunner


Kelly Ripa’s co-host on Tuesday could be joining Live permanently to replace Michael Strahan, who left the show about six months ago.

CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper, who has previously been on Live as a guest host, is among the few frontrunners for the job. Cooper tweeted to reveal that he would be joining Ripa to co-host Live!With Kelly on Tuesday. This has led to speculations that he could land the job.

ABC has been searching for a permanent Kelly Ripa co-host, and Cooper, who has a good relationship with the 46-year-old talk show host, could easily fill the vacancy. Last month, the Hollywood Reporter revealed that Cooper had signed a new long-term contract with CNN that could keep him from joining Live With Kelly on a permanent basis. However, he agreed to continue to appear on the show.

Kelly Ripa and Anderson Cooper [Image by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images]

Cooper was reportedly one of Ripa’s top choices. The fact that he continues to guest host on Live! could mean that he still has his eyes on the job.

ABC has been looking for someone to replace Strahan, who left the long-running show in May to join Good Morning America. Since the departure of the former NFL player, there have been more than 50 guest hosts on Live!

Several high-profile personalities have appeared on Live! as Kelly Ripa’s co-host, including the likes of Megyn Kelly, Anderson Cooper, and Bravo host Andy Cohen. These appearances have fueled rumors about who ABC would ultimately give the job to.

Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, whose appearance on Live! gave the show its highest ratings since Strahan’s departure, allegedly told her representatives that she wanted to work permanently with Kelly Ripa, Hollywood Life reported.

Rumors that Megyn Kelly, 46, who hosts her own show The Kelly File, is reportedly looking to step away from political journalism and become Kelly Ripa’s co-host on Live! didn’t take long to circulate.

A Megyn Kelly representative has, however, denied the claims that she wants to leave Fox News for ABC. The rep, who chose to remain anonymous, told Gossip Cop that reports of Megyn Kelly leaving Fox News where she has ongoing contract renegotiation are “not true.”

CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Bravo host Andy Cohen have both been recurring Kelly Ripa’s co-host on Live. Cooper and Cohen, who are on a tour titled “Deep Talk and Shallow Tales,” are both good friends with Ripa.

Cohen, the founder of the Real Housewives franchise, thanked Kelly Ripa on Live recently for saving his life. Last week, Cohen revealed that he was recently diagnosed with skin cancer after Ripa advised him to visit the hospital.

Kelly Ripa and Andy Cohen. [Image by Peter Kramer/Bravo]

“You and I were at a party for Anderson’s [Cooper] Mom in April, and you said, ‘You have a black dot on your lip, I don’t think that’s something good,'” Cohen said.

The 48-year-old added that although he was hesitant about going to the hospital, he eventually went for tests after continued pressure from Ripa and her husband, Mark Consuelos, Fox News reported.

“The two of you were dogmatic that I get it checked out,” Cohen said. “And I didn’t, because I was like, oh no, I’m sure its nothing. It’s just a black dot. And she kept on… And finally I did [get it checked].”

“It was melanoma and they removed it, and I just want to thank you because you were so dogmatic,” Cohen added. “I never thought that kind of thing would happen to me.”

Cohen also revealed on Live that he has since healed after doctors removed a chunk of his lip.

“The lip heals very well. I really had a chunk removed out of it,” Cohen said.

Kelly Ripa, who has reportedly detected potential cancer spots on three of her friends, told Cohen that she is that happy years of visiting several dermatologists paid off.

“I’m glad to see that all that money I spend visiting dermatologists is good for something,” Ripa said jokingly. Ripa, who told her viewers to be careful with the sun, admitted that she does not know if she can identify possible cancer spots on her own body.

Should Kelly Ripa’s permanent co-host be Anderson Cooper? Who do you think would be best suited for the gig?

[Featured Image by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP Photo]

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