Ryan walked out with Kelly Ripa one last time Friday morning to a roar of applause from the audience -- which included his parents, sister Meredith, and GF Aubrey. The screen behind the cohosts read "Bye Bye, Ry Ry."

Kelly and Ryan were emotional from the get-go, joking about realizing they'll be shedding some tears today. They even showed an adorable send-off video from his niece. Ryan's last guest on the show was Dr. Jill Biden. The First Lady said they sometimes watch 'Live' in the White House.

His official goodbye at the end was every bit as sad as you'd think, too ... with Kelly first saying so long to her pal, before Ryan thanked her for everything, saying goodbye to the show he's been able to call home.

You'll recall, Ryan took the spot in 2017 ... a year after Michael Strahan made the switch to "Good Morning America" -- something that apparently blindsided Kelly.

Ryan covered a LOT during his 6 years on the morning show, including the pandemic -- which forced them both to take their hosting duties to their homes. With Ryan now off the air, Kelly's husband, Mark Consuelos, will take his place.

As we reported, Ryan made the shocking announcement in February -- sources connected to the host told us he had only planned to stay for 3 years but obviously kept things going. He'll be staying pretty busy with "American Idol," his morning radio show, "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve," and even producing his own olive oil.