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A morning staple! Since Live<\/em> premiered, the talk show has had a history of hosts from Regis Philbin<\/a> and Kathie Lee Gifford<\/strong><\/a> to Kelly Ripa<\/strong><\/a> and Ryan Seacrest<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n The talk show premiered in 1983 under the name The Morning Show<\/em> with Philbin as its lead<\/a>. Two years later, Gifford signed on to cohost alongside the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?<\/em> alum. In 1985, the show was renamed Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee<\/em>. The pair worked together until 2000 when the former Today<\/em><\/a> star exited the series. Despite her departure, the two remained close<\/a> until Philbin\u2019s death in July 2020.<\/p>\n \u201cKathie Lee, you want to know the best part of my life, my TV life, was in the 15 years I spent with you from 1985 to 2000,\u201d Philbin said during a surprise April 2019 appearance on the Today<\/em> <\/a>show before Gifford\u2019s departure from the NBC show<\/a>. \u201cWe stayed friends through the entire game, and it was a lot of fun. Where you are right now I know you\u2019re going to be moving on to a great new career making movies, and since I\u2019ve seen the first one, I know you\u2019re going to be a great success. I really mean it.\u201d<\/p>\n Following Gifford\u2019s farewell, Ripa began to guest host the program. In February 2001, she scored the role as cohost<\/a> alongside Philbin. With the All My Children<\/em><\/a> actress joining the team, the show became Live! With Regis and Kelly<\/em>. The duo worked together for more than ten years before he left the show<\/a> in November 2011 after hosting for 23 years.<\/p>\n While the New York native and Hope & Faith<\/em> star appeared to have a good rapport on camera, their relationship behind the scenes <\/a>wasn\u2019t so peachy. During a 2017 appearance on Larry King Live<\/em>, Philbin revealed that he was not in touch with Ripa<\/a> and alleged he was never asked to appear on the talk show again.<\/p>\n \u201cNever once did they ask me to go back,\u201d he claimed at the time. \u201c[Kelly] got very offended when I left. She thought I was leaving because of her. I was leaving because I was getting older and that wasn\u2019t right for me anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Ripa, for her part, addressed Philbin\u2019s exit and claims in her 2022 memoir, Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reality is that I would have traded places with him in a second. I was scared to death, and suddenly responsible for keeping our very popular show on the air, all by myself,\u201d she wrote. \u201cIn the years following his departure, Regis was invited back on the show many times, but always declined. So it was a genuine thrill and surprise when he finally relented and agreed to be on our annual Halloween show.\u201d<\/p>\n After Philbin left, Michael Strahan<\/strong><\/a> joined. Following his exit, Ripa worked alongside a variety of potential cohosts during a lengthy search for the next Live<\/em> host. In September 2017, Seacrest scored the full-time gig<\/a> and the show became Live! With Kelly and Ryan<\/em>. While working on Live<\/em>, the Keeping Up With the Kardashians<\/em> producer also continued his hosting gigs<\/a> for American Idol<\/em><\/a> and his radio show, On Air with Ryan Seacrest<\/em>, for KIIS-FM. Seacrest revealed in February 2023 that he was leaving Live<\/em> after six years<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWorking alongside Kelly over the past six years has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career,\u201d he said in a statement at the time. \u201cShe has been an amazing partner, friend, and confidant, and although we will always be a part of each other\u2019s lives, I will miss our mornings together.\u201d<\/p>\n Shortly after the announcement of Seacrest\u2019s exit, it was confirmed that Ripa\u2019s husband, Mark Consuelos<\/strong><\/a>, would be joining the Live<\/em> family<\/a>.<\/p>\n