August 12, 2024
Kelly Ripa has been honoured with the prestigious Disney Legend Award for her contributions to the company in her 30-year-long career.
Ripa, 53, began her acceptance speech with a playful banter towards her former costar Ryan Seacrest who presented her with the award.
"Thank you so much, and Ryan, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm just so glad that you finally found something else to host," Ripa said jokingly referring to Seacrest's many gigs.
The actress and TV show host then congratulated all those who received the same honour that night, which included Miley Cyrus, Angela Bassett, Colleen Atwood, Martha Blanding, James L. Brooks, James Cameron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Steve Ditko, Harrison Ford, Mark Henn, Frank Oz, Joe Rohde and John Williams.
She also paid tribute to Bob Iger, Dana Walden, husband Mark Consuelos, and her best friend Ryan Seacrest in her acceptance speech.
Ripa then gave a shoutout to the D23 attendees before she teased her own honour. "I know what you're thinking. Why her? What has she ever done? She doesn't even go here," Ripa said. "But to you, I say, you sound just like my family."
However, she snubbed her former Live! cohost Regis Philbin, the longtime producer of the show Michael Gelman and creator of All My Children Agnes Nixon — the soap opera that launched Ripa's career — in her speech as she expressed gratitude to everyone who played a key role in her journey.
As per Showbiz411, Ripa has been vocal about her strained ties with Regis. When Regis was forced to retire, he never heard from Ripa again and was never invited back to the show he created.