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Kelly Ripa Co-Host: Richard Curtis Returns To ‘Live!’ But Could He Be Permanent Fixture?

By Niki Cruz
Published on: 06:42 PST, Dec 7, 2016

During the search for Kelly Ripa’s co-host, there’s been a ton of excitable celebrity guest co-hosts, who have sat next to Kelly in anticipation of signing on the dotted line for a long-term contract. That said, we’re willing to bet that the celebrity guest co-hosts didn’t see a regular Joe as their competition.

Throughout the last seven months that ABC has searched for Michael Strahan’s permanent replacement, no one ever saw Philadephia teacher Richard Curtis coming. As we all know, Curtis won the impromptu contest, which took twenty regular people and put them against each other for the chance to win a guest spot on one episode of Live! Richard Curtis wound up beating out all of the competition, and not only charmed audiences during his time in the guest co-host chair, but it seems like he also impressed producers at ABC.

While it hasn’t been announced that he’s Kelly Ripa’s co-host for good, he has an excellent chance of getting the gig. After his initial guest co-hosting gig, he was asked to guest on the show one more time. At the time he said, it was approval from his students that made the job easy for him.

“I kept looking at my students and seeing their smiling faces, laughing, and enjoying themselves really made this whole journey completely worth it.”

During his second appearance on Live with Kelly! Curtis joked, “It’s amazing how daytime talk shows have taken over the school.”

Of the whole experience, the Souderton high school teacher said that he felt like he needed to wake up because he felt like he was a part of a dream.

As for whether or not he will be Kelly Ripa’s co-host for good, it’s not yet known, but it’s looking likely. News hit that Ripa and ABC asked Curtis to guest co-host an additional three more times. Perhaps they’re testing him to see if he can compete against fan favorites like Fred Savage and Jerry O’Connell?

According to Philly.com journalist Nick Vadala, Curtis is set to co-host with Ripa on December 12, and again on December 14th. After that CNN commentator Van Jones will step in, and then Ripa’s husband, Mark Consuelos, will host alongside Kelly.

It isn’t just ABC and Ripa that seem to be taken by Richard Curtis either. Veterans in the entertainment business are beginning to notice him. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker commented on his natural ability when she was on the show, telling him that it seemed like he had, “been secretly doing talk shows for the last 10 years.” Of the comment, Curtis said it was the nicest compliment he’s received.

In addition to questions about Kelly Ripa’s co-host, there’s been a theory circulating, that the long search for the new Live! co-host is a ratings gimmick. The Inquisitr suggested this weeks ago, but it was later cemented by a piece by the New York Daily News, which called the whole search a ruse for ratings.

The piece went on to say, “It’s become about as authentic as TV’s many other smoke and mirrors and reveals a deep disrespect for the people who watch the show — and there are more of them than ever.”

Other favorites to co-host with Kelly Ripa include Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Jerry O’Connell, and Neil Patrick Harris. Putting Richard Curtis up against these famous names, do you think he has a chance to be Kelly Ripa’s full-time co-host?

[Featured Image by Mark Davis/Getty Images]

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