Kelly Ripa was best known for her All My Children role when she was chosen as the permanent replacement for former Live! co-host Kathie Lee Gifford in 2001. During her tryout episodes, the actor impressed the late Regis Philbin and producers with her on-air presence and knack for interviewing celebrities. And though she's beloved for emceeing the daytime talk show for the past 20 years, even Ripa has had her share of interview gaffes. To see which Live interview Ripa says was her most embarrassing one yet, read on, and for some sweet shots of her family, check out Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' Son Looks Exactly Like His Dad in This Post.
Ripa once made a memorable mistake when reading her cue cards.
When Ripa and current co-host Ryan Seacrest were on Watch What Happens Live in September 2017, a caller asked her about the most embarrassing question she's ever asked a celebrity during an interview. Ripa recalled a question she asked during a conversation with acclaimed actor Glenn Close. It wasn't a case of her bringing up something uncomfortable or invasive; Ripa misread the cue cards and asked something completely nonsensical.
"The reason I have glasses is because, and it goes back some time, Glenn Close was on the show, and I asked her how long she had been the mayor of Connecticut," Ripa told Andy Cohen. "I misread a cue card, cause I couldn't see it."
For another daytime chat gone wrong, check out Savannah Guthrie Says This Celeb Was Her Most Embarrassing Today Interview.
The question obviously baffled her guest.
Ripa went on to say that the Fatal Attraction star was deeply confused by the question, and of course, the host understood why.
"And she looked at me and said, 'What the hell are you talking about?'" Ripa continued. "And I said, 'I don't know, I know you're not the mayor of Connecticut, but I can't see what the card says.'"
Cohen branded her story "amazing," and Seacrest said that Ripa's mistake ended up being "such a great moment."
For her part, Close wasn't offended by the blunder. She still frequently returns to the show to promote her various projects.
For a guest who likely won't be coming back, Whoopi Goldberg Says This Guest Called The View Hosts an Awful Name.
Ripa doesn't mind making mistakes on the show.
Looking back on her 20 years on Live! in an interview with Variety last October, Ripa talked about how the at-home quarantine broadcasts that the pandemic made necessary fit right into the "on-the-fly, guerrilla-style" attitude of the show even in normal times.
"If something breaks down, we fix it," she added. "Nobody's coming in from Hollywood to fix it."
Comparing herself to her co-host, Ripa said that Seacrest "is so polished," while she is not. She credited her staying power on the show to her "overall willingness to let all [her] foibles unfold and put all [her] imperfections out there."
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Seacrest admires Ripa's on-air energy.
Speaking Entertainment Weekly in February, Seacrest shouted out his co-star not only for her own hosting prowess but also the role she played in helping him get acclimated to the daytime environment when he came on board in 2017.
"She always comes ready to play," he said. "She always has a story to tell…And she brings incredible energy and honesty and candor to the show. She's probably made me more comfortable, just talking about myself."
For daytime hosts who couldn't get along, check out Meghan McCain Never Wants to Work With This The View Host Again.
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