Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos kicked off the Wednesday, October 1, episode of Live With Kelly and Mark by celebrating the show’s longtime executive producer, Michael Gelman.
On Tuesday, September 30, Gelman was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame. “I’m not going to lie, I got very emotional,” Ripa said of the ceremony on Live. Gelman added, “I got emotional during your speeches. Thank you for coming out there. That was very nice.”
Ripa stated that it was “a pleasure and a privilege” for her and Consuelos to present Gelman with the career achievement. “We don’t leave the house very often, and any time I have to put on makeup at 6 p.m., I resent it,” she joked. “But I’ve got to tell you, you could’ve been inducted into that Hall of Fame 50 times by now. And the fact that we’ve just gotten around to it, it’s long overdue and so well deserved. It was a real pleasure.”
Gelman originally joined the series, formerly known as The Morning Show, as a production assistant and associate producer before returning to the show as an executive producer in 1987. The following year, the series began national syndication and was renamed Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, cohosted by the late Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford.
Ripa has cohosted the series since 2001. Following Philbin’s departure in 2011, Ripa led the series with Michael Strahan and Ryan Seacrest before Consuelos became her new cohost in 2023.
“Talk shows come and go,” Consuelos told Gelman during Wednesday’s episode. “The fact that you’ve been able to keep this show going? When something looks easy, it’s usually because it’s really, really not. So, Michael Gelman, I’ve got to tell you, you’ve mastered the art of keeping this show relevant, fun, happy, with different iterations.”
Consuelos went on to ask, “Did you ever imagine I would be sitting here?” to which Gelman replied, “No.” Consuelos credits his role to Gelman, as he stated, “You’ve made this work.”
Ripa also praised Gelman for being able to “keep the same people” on the show’s staff over the years, before joking that she is still referred to as the “new girl” on set, despite having hosted for nearly 25 years.
The hosts wrapped up the conversation with kind words about Gelman. “It was well deserved, Michael. I’m proud of you,” Consuelos said, while Ripa added, “Very, very proud of you.”
Live‘s official YouTube page posted footage of Gelman’s Hall of Fame induction on Wednesday. “Michael has shepherded Live through many transformations over the decades, and he’s remained at the top of his game and he’s never lost his heart or his soul in the process,” Ripa said in her speech. “Now, he could’ve left this job many times and taken on bigger roles somewhere else — I mean, that’s what he keeps telling us, anyway — but he saw the value in what we do every day as a team. A little irreverent, a little absurd, always unpredictable, but a show that manages to entertain and enlighten and bring joy to our viewers.”
Consuelos, for his part, stated, “Often, when something looks so seamless, it’s easy to overlook how challenging it is. And in this era of fickle viewership and a million options, Gelman has managed to keep our show appointment television, and that is no small feat.”
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