Kelly Ripa is surprised by the ‘outpouring of interest’ for her ‘Live’ co-host spot

The best of the celeb besties – Kelly Ripa, Anderson Cooper, and Andy Cohen – were all present in the Watch What Happens Live Clubhouse Wednesday night.

One caller thought this was an opportune time to ask when Ripa’s Live co-host would be named. Since Michael Strahan’s departure in May, Ripa has entertained numerous guest hosts including Cohen, Jerry O’Connell and Megyn Kelly.

“We really didn't set a time frame for ourselves,” one of Forbes' 10 top-paid TV hosts said. “We just wanted to wait until we found the right person.”

Ripa said she was shocked by how many people were interested in taking the seat beside her.

“What we didn't anticipate was that we would have such an outpouring of interest,” she admitted. “Our list got very long very quickly. We've been trying to keep it as narrow as possible, but then people pop up.”

Unfortunately for Ripa, it appears her top choice for a partner in daytime is already taken. According to Entertainment Tonight and E!, Ripa revealed Anderson Cooper would be her first pick.

"He's my life. He really is," Ripa shared. "He's the one that got away and keeps getting away and gets away all the time."