Kelly Ripa recently shared how she accepted the Disney Legend Award, an award given to individuals who have made significant contributions to the company. While Ripa continues to amaze her fans with her acting and hosting skills, the talk show host shared that she was shocked to learn she was receiving the title. Read on to find out more details!
Kelly Ripa was shocked to learn she was named a Disney Legend. In a recent episode of her podcast Let’s Talk Off Camera, Ripa shared her thoughts on her award with Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, who chatted with her about his accomplishments.
According to People magazine, the talk show host expressed that the recognition came as a surprise to her, describing it as “an unexpected blow.” She continued, “Once again, it was one of those moments where I thought Deborah O’Connell was playing an April Fool’s joke on me,” adding, “Why me? It took a real person to stabilize. There’s a lot of greatness, but then they say, ‘Okay. How do we honor regular people? Kelly?'”
Following Ripa’s remarks, Iger stressed that she truly deserved the title, saying that her achievements on television, including her work on All My Children and Live!, “have been instrumental not only in our success, but in what we represent in the world.”
The Hope & Faith star then mentioned that she has been hosting Live! for 25 years. In response, Iger acknowledged the significance of that long tenure and the sheer amount of time she has been on the air, expressing, “Ultimately, I agree with that list and actually I thought, well, why didn’t we get to that sooner? They’ve actually been worthy for quite some time.” She noted that her time on the show reflects both her worthiness and the show’s value.
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Bob Iger added that the show was more than just sitting in a chair and saying “good morning” every day, pointing out that she earned the title of Disney Legend for “who you are and what you represent.”
Kelly Ripa received the Disney Legend award, presented to her by her former co-host Ryan Seacrest, at the D23 event in Anaheim, California on August 11. At the ceremony, Ripa praised her husband, Mark Consuelos, in her acceptance speech and thanked the Walt Disney Company for the title, according to the outlet.
