Kelly Ripa & Ryan Seacrest Host First 'Live' Show of 2022 Virtually Amid COVID Surge

Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest are bringing back Live with Kelly and Ryan virtually.

On Monday (January 3), the pair explained that they would be filming the show remotely amid rising cases of COVID-19.

Click inside to read more…

“Good morning, everyone! Don’t adjust your dials,” Kelly said. “We’re coming to you from the studio, which we made to look like two separate bedrooms. It is January 3, 2022!”

Ryan quipped, “Are you sure?”

“It seems like January 3, 2021,” the American Idol host added. “We’re back at home out of an abundance of caution with the Omicron virus.”

Kelly went on to address the surging COVID-19 cases, particularly in New York City, where the show is shot. The region broke a new daily record with nearly 50,000 new cases on Saturday.

“I don’t think there’s a person in America right now, and probably Canada, who doesn’t know somebody who has COVID right now — this new variant of the coronavirus or has had it recently or is about to get it,” she said. “So out of an abundance of caution right now, we are back home.”

Kelly also took to social media to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at filming from home, sharing a photo of herself and Ryan as they were about to start the show. She captioned the pic, “This again.”

Last week, the CDC defended its controversial new COVID-19 isolation guidelines.