Who said a Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest reunion would be awkward?!

Ryan and Kelly moderated Live together on ABC for six years from 2017 to 2023. While Ryan’s exit wasn’t as shocking as previous exits, it was still a blow to the show.

That’s why fans were so excited to see the two back together this week – and why Kelly’s dig at Ryan was received pretty well.

Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest reunite live at D23 for the Legends Ceremony

Over the weekend, Kelly was honored at the Disney Legends Awards ceremony alongside other talents such as Jamie Lee Curtis and Miley Cyrus.

Each recipient was greeted on stage by a friend or featured in a performance highlighting the work they have done for the House of Mouse. In Kelly’s case, it was none other than her former Live Co-star Ryan Seacrest, who presented her with the legendary award.

Ryan actually hosted the entire event, so it wasn’t really a big ask to take the time to show Kelly some love; unless you consider that he’s in the thick of it too, American Idol‘s next season AND his first season of Wheel of Fortune.

Maybe that’s why Kelly thought this was the right place and time to tease Ryan a little. A joke between friends, if you will!

“Ryan, thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Kelly said as she took the stage to accept her award after his kind words. Then she added, “I’m just glad you finally found something else to host.”

The audience laughs. Because, well, come on!

Ryan and Kelly parted on good terms

Unlike someone else who left “Live” with a lot of drama (ahem, Michael Strahan, ahem), there was nothing but love from Kelly when Ryan left the daytime talk show.

On the one hand, this change allowed her husband, Mark Consuelos, to join her on the editorial team full-time. On the other hand, it seemed clear from the start that this arrangement was not intended to be permanent.

“I looked back at the six years and remembered that it was originally only supposed to be three years,” said Ryan diversity about his exit at that time.

“And then with each year that went by, I kept renewing my contract because I love sitting next to my partner and having that unique and casual connection with the people watching.”

He added that part of the appeal of participating in the show is that for many viewers it is an escape from everyday life.

“We were relieved by the amount of difficult news and the division in the country, and we are aware of that when we are on the air,” he explained.

“We make sure that the show is meant to be entertaining and provide counter-programming to anything that is political. And honestly, I feel more comfortable with that. We felt that this is a place where people can have fun, laugh, smile, forget and escape from serious things.”

Kelly Ripa’s speech on Disney Legends: This is “surreal”

The Disney Legends Award honors artists and visionaries in the history of The Walt Disney Company “who have pushed the boundaries of creativity, challenged conventional wisdom and broken the constraints of the status quo in search of new possibilities and excellence.”

Kelly has worked for Disney almost literally her entire career. For 34 years she appeared on ABC programs, from Live To All my children to new programs such as Generational conflict.

In her Disney Legends speech, she described her years with the company as “great luck.”

“This feels unreal to me,” she added. “I owe everything to Disney. Not just my career, but my entire immediate family,” paying tribute to her “super-hot husband,” whom she met on the set of the ABC soap 30 years ago.

It’s been quite a journey! How long it will take is the better question!