Could High School Teacher Richard Curtis Threaten Jerry O'Connell's Chances of Getting Hired on Live With Kelly?

Pennsylvania married father of two appears to be in the running for Michael Strahan’s replacement

By Mike Vulpo Oct 26, 2016 8:31 PMTags

A brand-new face appears to have entered the race in becoming Kelly Ripa's permanent co-host on Live!

Just a few days after Richard Curtis appeared on Live With Kelly after winning a social media contest to co-host, viewers and productions alike are left feeling pretty impressed.

According to TMZ, the Pennsylvania high school teacher "blew everyone away" with his talents Friday with staffers impressed with his poise and self-confidence.

The outlet also reports that he will be back for another day as co-host as early as mid-November.

"So there's tough days at the office and then what I experienced today! Oh, my, gosh!!!!" Richard wrote on Instagram after his episode aired. "This has been a whirlwind of awesomeness!"

photos
Kelly Ripa & Michael Strahan's Best Live Moments

A video posted by LIVE with Kelly (@livekelly) on

He added in a separate video, "A loving thank you note to EVERYONE who helped put me in that chair!"

Earlier this month, E! News learned that frequent guest co-host Jerry O'Connell is very interested in replacing Michael Strahan on the long-running ABC talk show.

"Jerry's staying super positive about it, but says he's totally in the dark on the selection process," a source shared with E! News. "If he's chosen, he says he'll probably be the last to know. He's adores Kelly though. If she asks, he'd love the job."

"The only question would be [his wife] Rebecca Romijn and the girls," our insider added. "They live in the valley and their whole life is in California. He hasn't mentioned what he'll do about the family but I'm sure they'd figure it out. Rebecca just wrapped The Librarians."

As for Richard, the 30-year-old had quite the special show when he interviewed Blacklist star Sullivan Stapleton and Elijah Wood. The married father of two also discussed his life as a TV teacher as his entire school watched from the auditorium.

"I have no clever jokes. It's just me from the bottom of my heart saying thank you for giving me this opportunity. I cried like six times again today. It's so heartwarming," Richard shared on Instagram Tuesday. "You guys got behind me, you supported me in a dream that was so outlandish that I could possibly sit next to Kelly Ripa and guys, I won and I feel like I did really well, but I'm not sure."

Something tells us this isn't the last we've seen of Richard.