Kelly Ripa Shares Daughter Lola’s Heartbreaking Reaction To Regis Philbin’s Death
Kelly Ripa has opened up about her daughter Lola Consuelos’ reaction to the news that her former Live! co-host Regis Philbin had passed away at the age of 88 due to heart disease. During a segment on Good Morning America on July 28, the former soap opera actress spoke candidly about how she and her family heard the sad news over the weekend and admitted that she and Lola didn’t believe it at first and hoped the report of his death was a hoax.
“My daughter sort of crystallized it for me. Lola said, ‘That’s got to be a mistake! That can’t be right,'” Kelly said on the ABC morning show, suggesting they found out about the passing of her longtime co-host through the news, along with the star’s many fans.
“There was a moment where I had this incredible hope that it was somehow misreported,” the star continued as she talked with anchor Amy Robach via video chat.
Unfortunately, the reports of his death were true, and Kelly said that her thoughts immediately went to his family once it was confirmed. She spoke about how much the former America’s Got Talent host “worshiped” his wife Joy, who she said “meant everything” to him.
The TV personality, who appeared alongside Regis on the morning chat show for 11 years, added that her thoughts then turned to Kathie Lee Gifford, who spent 15 years with him on the long-running series before Kelly became a permanent co-host in 2001. Kathie Lee has shared her own emotional tribute on social media and also opened up earlier this week about the last time she saw her close friend, only two weeks before his death.
Regis Philbin’s co-host of 11 years @KellyRipa remembers Regis and shares some of her favorite memories with the TV legend. https://t.co/2d4SrO3XoE pic.twitter.com/BhNBV7gRo5
— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 28, 2020
Kelly then went on to speak about the sweet relationship Regis had with her kids over the years, after Live! previously played a clip this week of him babysitting her children when they were young. The former All My Children actress admitted that she got “particularly emotional” when she watched the moment back as the iconic host helped her kids brush their teeth and get ready for bed.
The mom of three told Amy that she’ll always remember the way he spoke to her daughter, who’s now 19-years-old, in “a very sweet way.”
Kelly, who still co-hosts Live! alongside Ryan Seacrest, then went on to share the biggest thing she learned from the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire host.
“You have to be yourself. You cannot be one person on camera and a different person… once the audience is gone. You have to be who you are,” she said.
Kelly’s latest comments come shortly after she teared up when she and Ryan paid tribute to the late star yesterday (July 27).