INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Rob Lowe To Join Kelly Ripa As Permanent Co-Host For ‘Live’?

By Niki Cruz
Published on: 11:43 PST, May 25, 2016

A few weeks ago, Rob Lowe more than hinted that he was ready to walk away from network TV for good, but now it looks like he’s just changing his time slot from primetime to daytime.

According to Entertainment Tonight, there’s a serious possibility that Rob Lowe is going to join Kelly Ripa as a permanent replacement on Live! It’s said that ABC is very interested in bringing Rob Lowe on board permanently, and that he’s currently in talks with the network.

That said, this isn’t the first time ABC chatted Rob up about the gig. When they were looking for a co-host to join Kelly Ripa back in 2012, Lowe didn’t get the job, but ABC did pursue him.

For Lowe, the situation is different this time around. Back in 2012, Rob Lowe was still a busy guy, but now with the cancellation of his Fox show The Grinder, he’s up for some work. Although Lowe didn’t give any hints as to whether or not he’s coming on board permanently, he did sing Kelly Ripa’s praises when Entertainment Tonight interviewed him.

“I hosted it with Kelly and had the time of my life. I love her… I love being able to talk to an audience every morning like that and just being fun, counter-punching, being silly, and talking about cool stuff.”

As for walking away from TV for good, Lowe said off of the heels of his show’s cancellation:

“If the show doesn’t get picked up, I really need to examine what I have to offer on network television in this climate because I do a certain type of show — West Wing, Parks and Recreation, The Grinder — and my sense is that is really no longer where network television lives.

“I was so happy that our show, so early in its life, was able to get the nomination, [but] I sat there looking at my colleagues in my category, and I was the only person on a network show.”

The actor took to Twitter to announce the fate of the show:

Rob Lowe isn’t the only frontrunner. As the Inquisitr reported, CNN’s Anderson Cooper was at the top of the list, and the person that Kelly Ripa was really rooting for. That said, The Wrap reported that Walt Disney Co. wants to do a proper search for the right person.

“Executives at Walt Disney Co., which owns ABC, want to proceed with a plan like the one in 2011, when dozens of guest hosts – ranging from Jerry Seinfeld to Josh Groban – trooped through the Live set after Regis Philbin left the show. Such a process would give executives months to assess which guest hosts clicked best with Ripa, and also look at ratings and viewers’ reactions in focus groups and on social media.”

Cooper has already commented on his chances of taking the chair alongside Ripa, and it doesn’t look good. “Look, I’m very happy at CNN. It would be a dream to work with Kelly, but nobody’s offering anything. Listen, I love Kelly and I think Kelly is the heart and soul of that show, and it’s gonna go on and continue to be great.”

Who do you think will co-host Live! with Kelly Ripa?

[Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Profile]

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