Kelly Ripa Says She Quit Drinking After Ryan Seacrest Was Hired As Her Co-Host Of “Live”

Kelly Ripa may be the size of an El Monterey frozen microwave burrito, but apparently there was a time when she could really put back the alcohol. But Kelly Ripa doesn’t drink nearly as much as she used to, and she has her Live co-host Ryan Seacrest to thank for that.

E! News says that during yesterday’s episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan, Kelly and Ryan reported the “wine problem” currently running rampant in America. Kelly and Ryan say wine sales have seen their first drop in a quarter of a century. Kelly joked that she’s the reason there are so many wineries that can barely pay their electrical bill:

“It’s the first drop in a quarter of a century. Now, I believe this is because I quit drinking, that I caused this slip. I have influenced the market. I’m not saying I’ve driven people out. I’m saying I stopped buying wine and there’s a 25 percent dip.”

Ryan then chimed in, saying that Kelly’s decision to quit drinking just so happened around the time he was hired back in 2017.

Ryan Seacrest: I started the show and she quit drinking. What does that tell you? I don’t know. It that good or bad?

Kelly Ripa: It’s amazing.

Hmmm…I wonder why Kelly was drinking so much before Ryan was hired? What a mystery! Wait a minute – mystery begins with the letter M. I feel like that’s a clue? Perhaps someone smarter than me can figure that one out.

But Kelly didn’t say why she decided to stop drinking. And she didn’t say whether she went cold turkey. Because as you can see from the clip above, Kelly isn’t totally done with wine. Kelly and Ryan did a blind wine test on Live in 2018. Unless Kelly was just faking it, and that wine was secretly Welch’s grape juice. But Kelly would never calculate a stunt like that? I think Kelly just means she doesn’t drink to get drunk.

I do believe Kelly when she says that it’s “amazing” to not be drinking heavily anymore with Ryan in the seat to her left. She’s probably much more mentally sharp and focused now. And you need to be on your toes when Ryan is your co-host. You never know when he might get distracted by something shiny, causing his Charming TV Personality 2.0 microchip to short-circuit, and you’ve got a malfunction on your hands.

Pic: YouTube