Distance makes the heart grow fonder.
That appears to be the case for Ryan Seacrest now that he's leaving Live With Kelly and Ryan after six seasons and heading back to Los Angeles.
"I'll miss this team of people," he exclusively told Carolina Bermudez on the March 9 episode of E! News. "We've gotten to know each other and become very, very close. It's a unique environment here, where many people have been here a long time. They've raised their kids while being on this show."
But while he's saying goodbye to the ABC daytime talk show, that won't affect his relationship with his co-host Kelly Ripa.
"I'll miss being next to Kelly every single day," Ryan shared. "We're extremely close, we're very good friends, we'll remain good friends. But there's that hour of communicating with somebody. You become super excited about doing it. You laugh, and then, of course, you can't remember what you said to each other. So I'll miss that part."
So, what's next? Ryan added, "I'm gonna be back in California a lot, I lived there for so many years. My life is there."
Last month, Ryan shocked viewers when he announced his departure from Live, confirming that Kelly's husband Mark Consuelos will be his replacement. "Working alongside Kelly over the past six years has been a dream job and one of the highlights of my career," he said in a statement. "She has been an amazing partner, friend and confidant. And although we will always be a part of each other's lives, I will miss our mornings together."
But his upcoming final episode won't actually be the last you'll see of him, as he joked, "[Michael] Gelman tells me he's gonna have me back to fill in every now and then."
Until then, the 48-year-old still has plenty of time with Kelly by his side thanks to the duo's annual After Oscar Show.
"We'll both be backstage," he noted. "So, if you watch a winner on the main show, they will then turn the corner and you'll see them disappear—as soon as they disappear, they're with us. We'll get that energy and emotion from the winners as they still probably haven't processed it all."
So, who does Ryan think will be joining him backstage as potential winners on the big night?
"I really liked Tár," he offered. "I didn't know much about that world, so I thought that was very interesting and a strong movie. I thought the performance that Brendan [Fraser] gave in The Whale was incredible. And then I always think I'm gonna get the title wrong, but Everything Everywhere All at Once."
See more can't-miss interviews on E! News, weeknights at 11 p.m. EST.