The One That Got Away

August 21, 2012
Anderson Cooper Is Kelly Ripa's Dream Co-Host (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post | By Cavan Sieczkowski
Posted: 08/21/2012 -- 12:14 pm | Updated: 08/21/2012 -- 1:58 pm


Kelly Ripa will not reveal her new co-host until Sept. 4, but the "Live! With Kelly" host was not shy about her affection for one candidate in particular -- Anderson Cooper.

Ripa has had 59 different co-hosts since Regis Philbin left in November 2011, including Cooper, Jerry Seinfeld, Neil Patrick Harris, Nick Lachey, Seth Meyers, Jerry O'Connell, Cat Deeley and Kim Kardashian. With mere weeks to go before the final choice is declared, Ripa has hinted to Us Weekly who her dream co-host is none other than Cooper.

"We have a connection like nobody else," Ripa told Us Weekly. "I worship him!"

Although fans can hope, a Ripa-Cooper union might not come to fruition since Anderson is might busy these days. So "the search continues," Ripa told Us Weekly.

Season 2 of Cooper's own syndicated talkshow, "Anderson Live," will premiere on Sept. 10 on CBS. Plus, he has his CNN duties to tend to, hosting "Anderson Cooper 360°."

The hunky journalist seems quite excited about the sophomore season of his eponymous show.


So will Cooper be able to squeeze Ripa into his jam-packed schedule?

He already has! Last week, Ripa posted of photo of herself with the CNN "Silver Fox" on Instagram while they vacationed in Croatia with Ripa's husband Mark Consuelos and Bravo's Andy Cohen. Ben Maisani, Cooper's boyfriend who was photographed kissing another man, was also spotted with the group.

Back in May, Ripa and Cooper spoke with Cohen about Ripa's search for a new co-host.

Cohen asked the pair if, when they look at each other, "Do you two feel like, 'These are the ones that got away?'"

Ripa certainly does.

"I still feel," she told Cooper, "like you and I are destined to be together, some day, somehow."