Report: Rob Lowe in talks to join Kelly Ripa on "Live!"
ABC is definitely interested in Rob Lowe as Kelly Ripa's "Live!" co-host, a source tells ET.
The network has been talking to Lowe's reps again, the source says, having chatted with the actor about the highly coveted gig back in 2012, when ABC was looking for Regis Philbin's replacement. Lowe, 52, had impressed viewers at the time when he guest-hosted for two days. But the job, of course, ended up going to Michael Strahan.
Lowe is also currently a free agent since his Fox show, "The Grinder," got canceled earlier this month after one season.
ET caught up with Lowe on Monday on the set of his upcoming film, "How to Be a Latin Lover," where he wasn't counting out the potential huge, new gig.
"I hosted it with Kelly and had the time of my life," he commented. "I love her ... I love being able to talk to an audience every morning like that and just being fun, counter-punching, being silly, and talking about cool stuff."
Lowe also acknowledged he's in a good place in his personal life to accept the position. His 19-year-old son, John, is currently attending Stanford University, and his elder son, 21-year-old Matthew, is preparing to go to law school.
"My kids are out of the house, they weren't then. Who knows... But listen, man, I don't want to go up against Anderson Cooper," he joked. "I don't know if I'm going to go back as an actual guest host yet. ... You never know! You never know."
Cooper, 48, has been named as a frontrunner to be Ripa's new co-host, though last month, he said that he hadn't been "offered anything."
"Look, I'm very happy at CNN," Cooper, who hosts CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," answered cautiously when asked by a caller about all the "Live!" rumors during his appearance on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live!"
"It would be a dream to work with Kelly, but nobody's offering anything," he said. "Listen, I love Kelly and I think Kelly is the heart and soul of that show, and it's gonna go on and continue to be great."
Meanwhile, 45-year-old Ripa has been having fun with her guest co-hosts since Strahan departed the ABC morning show earlier this month. So far, the bubbly blonde's co-hosts have included Jimmy Kimmel, "Empire" star Jussie Smollett, and ABC "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir.
Last week, Ryan Seacrest exclusively revealed to ET that he will be one of Ripa's guest co-hosts next month.
"I'm sitting there for one day in June and can't wait to do that," Seacrest said when we spoke with him at 102.7 KIIS FM's Wango Tango in Carson, California. "She's asked me to come on for a day right at the beginning of June, and so I'm looking forward to hugging her and seeing her."
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