Is Kelly Ripa The Reason Ryan Seacrest Was MIA? Wants To Prove 'She Is The Draw'

Ryan Seacrest was out for two days this week since he was under the weather and getting tested for COVID-19, but OK! has learned that Kelly Ripa might have been the reason as to why he didn't come to work.

OK! spoke with multiple sources familiar with the situation, and they all agreed that there was no real health scare with Seacrest, 45. "He and the judges on American Idol are getting tested daily, adhering to social distance guidelines, and they reworked the entire season so that the contestants are coming to them in California. And if Ryan were really feeling that sick he would never have agreed to tape with Katy Perry over the weekend, who has a newborn at home," an insider spills.

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"Ryan filmed American Idol over the weekend and filmed Monday and Tuesday for their national auditions that would not have interfered with Live With Kelly and Ryan, but Kelly was pissed when she heard about his schedule," a source exclusively tells OK!. "There was no Idol when Ryan signed on to co-host. Kelly felt like it was just like her former co-host Michael Strahan, who would leave her for football every weekend, and then he took the Good Morning America job. Kelly was very clear with Ryan that she wanted someone who was fully committed to the show and was not going to waltz in and out for an hour each day."

It should also be noted that the Monday episode of Seacrest's radio show went live on the first day he was noticeably absent from Live.

Ultimately, it sounds like Ripa is fed up with Seacrest's many gigs. "The man is tested daily in Los Angeles while doing Idol. Kelly also refused to entertain the notion of him cohosting from home, which they did for months and are set up to do now. It was basically a warning and her way of making it clear to network executives and Ryan that she is the draw," the source explains.

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The blonde beauty 51, is also missing her husband, Mark Consuelos, who is taping Riverdale inside a bubble with his fellow castmates and is unable to return home every weekend like he used to do before the pandemic. "These things always happen when Marc is away," the network source says. "Marc would also be the one to step in during moments like this, which was a huge help to everyone on the show because he is such a calming presence for Kelly. Plus, there is no one she wants to host with more than her husband, so her mind is not dwelling on being slighted."

The actress should be excited since more viewers tuned into the morning show when Seacrest was MIA. “Early overnight ratings for Monday and Tuesday shows that, with Kelly hosting solo, they actually went up with Ryan out sick,” a source previously dished to OK!.

“Kelly is the most underrated star in television," the insider adds. "She is the heart and soul of Live With Kelly and Ryan and isn’t treated with the respect she deserves. Finally, the bosses are waking up and starting to worry what would happen to the show if Kelly decided to leave. She has made it clear that she wants to transition from in front of the camera to behind, producing and writing. Good luck finding another Kelly.”