Kelly Ripa, Ryan Seacrest Ratings Dip Not Causing Panic At ABC [Report]

Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest have been official co-hosts on Live! for just over a month now, and the rumors about their relationship and the show haven’t stopped. It is no secret that the ratings for Live! have dipped since the big co-host announcement that took place on Monday, May 1. However, despite the constant tabloid reports that ABC is in a panic over the ratings drop, Gossip Cop reports that the network is totally fine with how things are going when it comes to the popular, long-running morning talk show.

“They can’t afford to lose ground in the ratings. Everybody’s scrambling to figure out what the problem is,” OK! Magazine reported.

The site is just one of several that has claimed that Ripa and Seacrest are suffering. The rumors suggest the two are having some serious issues behind the scenes and that Ripa isn’t happy about Seacrest being chosen as her partner-in-morning-talk. However, none of it is apparently true.

“Unfortunately, Gossip Cop has had to correct numerous bogus stories surrounding Live! since Seacrest joined the show last month. We recently busted OK!‘s sister outlet, Radar Online, for falsely claiming that Ripa was worried about Seacrest quitting to host the American Idol revival instead. We also corrected the site for wrongly reporting that Ripa was against hiring Seacrest. This latest article about the morning talk show is equally untrue,” reported the site.

What is true is that ratings have dropped since the May 1 show. According to the Wrap, the show has taken a hit in the ratings department since Seacrest was announced as Ripa’s new co-host.

“[The show] declined 12 percent in TV ratings from the relaunched series’ Week 1 to Week 2,” the Wrap reported.

The site adds that the drop was to be expected following Seacrest’s first official appearance. Just about everyone tuned into that May 1 show, waiting to see who would take Michael Strahan’s spot nearly one year after his departure. With rumors cycling through names from Anderson Cooper to Andy Cohen to Jerry O’Connell to Fred Savage, Seacrest’s name was a bit of a surprise — which only helped the ratings for the week.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, some people seem convinced that Ripa and Seacrest are at each other’s throats when the cameras aren’t rolling. The two — who have been friends for years — might be all smiles each and every morning, but could there be something erupting when the cameras are off? Anything is possible, but Gossip Cop seems confident these stories are fabricated and that everything is totally cool on and off air.

Ripa and Seacrest have also been doing their fair share of convincing the public that they are a-okay. They have both been regularly posting photos on social media, perhaps trying to deter the feud chatter. Just yesterday, as a matter of fact, Seacrest posted the following photo of him and Ripa during a show in Canada. It definitely doesn’t look like there are any issues with their friendship, and they seem to be getting along just fine!

Regardless of what you might read on the internet, ABC insiders have told Gossip Cop that “everyone at the network is satisfied with the recent success of the talk show.” Details of Seacrest’s contract aren’t completely clear (as far as how many years he’s roped in), but many feel as though he will be departing in 2018, perhaps in time to head back to Los Angeles to host the new American Idol.

Do you watch Live! With Kelly & Ryan? Do you think that Ryan Seacrest was a good addition to the show? Do you think that he and Kelly Ripa have good chemistry? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

[Featured Image by Pawel Kaminski/Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and TV Distribution]