Kelly Ripa recently revealed her experience of accepting the Disney Legend Award, an honor presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to the company. While Ripa has continued to amaze fans with her acting and hosting skills, the talk show host shared that she was shocked when she learned she was receiving the title. Read on further to know more details!
Kelly Ripa was shocked to learn she had been named a Disney Legend. In a recent episode of her Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast, Ripa shared her thoughts on her award recognition with the CEO of The Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger, who sat down to chat with her about his achievements.
According to People magazine, the talk show host expressed that the recognition felt like a surprise, describing it as being “thrown for a curveball.” She continued, “Again, [it was] one of the moments where I thought Deborah O’Connell was playing an April Fools prank on me,” adding, “Why me? You needed a real person in there to sort of stabilize. There’s a lot of greatness, but then they’re like, ‘Okay. How do we honor regular people? Kelly?'”
After Ripa’s remarks, Iger emphasized she truly deserved the title, explaining that her television accomplishments, including her work on All My Children and Live!, “have contributed mightily, not just to our success, but to what we represent to the world.”
The Hope & Faith star then mentioned that she has been hosting Live! for 25 years. In response, Iger acknowledged the importance of this long tenure and the sheer amount of time she has been on the air, expressing, “Ultimately, I approve this list and actually, I thought, well, why didn’t we think of that earlier? You actually have been worthy for a while,” noting that her time on the show reflects both her worthiness and the show’s value.
Bob Iger added that the show was more than just sitting in a chair and saying “good morning” each day, noting that she got the title of Disney Legend for “who you are and what you represent.”
Kelly Ripa received the Disney Legend honor at the D23 event in Anaheim, California, on August 11, which her former cohost Ryan Seacrest presented to her. At the ceremony, per the outlet, Ripa gave a shoutout to her husband, Mark Consuelos, in her award acceptance speech and expressed gratitude to the Walt Disney Company for the title.
