“I said at the end of the series, ‘Goodbye for now,’ hoping somewhere it would come back,” Ryan Seacrest said about American Idol on Live With Kelly and Ryan on Monday morning (May 8). And, as it turns out, that worked.
Seacrest confirmed that a revival of the singing competition is in the works, but this time on ABC instead of Fox. The show, which ran for 15 seasons since its premiere in 2002, attracted 36 million viewers at its peak and averaged about 9 million during its final season.
“This was news to me last week,” Seacrest, who hosted the entire Idol series, said. He added, however, that it is “unofficial, but very close” to becoming a reality.
His Live co-host, Kelly Ripa, gushed over being a massive fan of Idol and said she would start a prayer circle for the show to come back. “I went into seclusion when the show got canceled,” she said.
Ripa even joked that it would be convenient for Seacrest to host the show once again, since ABC is his new network after being named Live With Kelly’s permanent co-host on May 1.
Seacrest didn’t confirm his return to Idol as host, as his schedule is hectic filming the New York-based talk show in the morning, as well as his morning radio show.
“Do you know the preparation I have to do for [Live] every night?” he joked, to which Ripa replied, “Your nights are free and you don’t have that much to do. You can do this!”
“On the days where it is the day after, you won’t even have to think. I will do it all!” she continued.
Watch the full clip below: