Actor Seth Meyers (L) and TV personality Kelly Ripa.
Bantering about his sunburned shoulders, juggling with Glenn Close and strategizing about rock-paper-scissors isn’t what Saturday Night Live star Seth Meyers really has planned for the rest of his professional life, right?
Ever since Regis Philbin left Live! in November 2011—after 28 years manning the show and providing the face of lighthearted morning chatter—Kelly Ripa has taken over and trotted out an array of co-hosts, some for weeks at a time and some for just a day or two. But the male parade will draw to a close soon, as the syndicated show has promised to place a new, permanent co-cost next to Ripa by the time the new season starts in September. Meyers has been favored for the position in recent weeks, though he has consistently said he doesn’t want to join the show.
Of course, Meyers’ repeated appearances as a fill-in host, including a five-day stint this week, doesn’t help his denial of having an interest in the slot, a position reportedly down to him and two others. Singer Josh Groban is considered a long shot for the gig (he’s already said he’s not interested), but former New York Giants football player Michael Strahan certainly has a realistic shot, especially if Meyers turns down the gig.
(MORE: Regis Philbin’s Next Move)
The thought of Meyers trading the snarky segments he’s known for at SNL—where he serves as head writer and Weekend Update anchor—for the banter of a morning talk show had some viewers giddy. This week he looked more than comfortable in the seat, meshing nicely with Ripa and offering plenty of self-depreciating humor, one-liners and stories of his own to keep the show rolling.
He spent plenty of time on Monday discussing how the sunburn spots on his shoulders he earned by neglecting to don sunscreen on the 4th of July looks like somebody put two irons on his shoulders, then easily segued into conversations about weather, sharks, whales, outdoor death and more sharks in an epic opening session. On Tuesday, Meyers deadpanned a bit about preparing for the show, admitting he may need to drink more coffee (he has water in his mug on the set) to keep up. He also said that when his team was drilling him, prepping him for the second show of the week, he figured all he needed to know was that it was Tuesday. Of course, Ripa was quick to point out that the show has cue cards for even that type of information.
But when asked if he was taking over the co-hosting duties, the 38-year-old funnyman told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, “No, no, no, no, no.” He added that “right now, what I would say to you: I’m really in love with the job I have. I’m very excited to be going back [to SNL] for the election season, which is always fun.”
Of course, folks have latched on to the “right now” part of that statement, wondering how long that “right now” really lasts.
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