It’s September 11th, and it’s been 25 years since one of the worst terrorist attacks struck New York City. It’s a day that affected millions of people, including Kelly Ripa, who was the host of “Live with Regis and Kelly” and was working when the planes struck the Twin Towers. In a video shared on the show’s official Instagram, Ripa and her then-host, the late Regis Philbin, are seen reacting to the news on air.
Michael Gelman, one of the show’s producers, shared the footage and his recollections of that day, which he spent at the office alongside Philbin and Ripa.
“It was minutes before air on September 11, 2001, when, as part of my pre-show briefings, I walked into Regis’ office and saw the WABC news report that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. There was smoke coming from the building,” he wrote in the post’s caption.
“After huddling with Regis and Kelly just before they walked out, we decided to forgo our usual light chat and instead follow what was unfolding live.”
He added, “What we are sharing is a deeply personal clip for all of us at Live, as we discovered the terrorist attack on our country.”
The clip shows Ripa and Philbin reacting to the news on the air. The two, visibly shaken, address the news to the live studio audience, pointing out what was happening in the footage that was being transmitted through the news.
“I feel sick to my stomach,” says Ripa at one point.
The 9/11 attacks were conducted by a terrorist group that hijacked four planes, with two flying into the World Trade Center. 2,977 people were killed, and thousands continue to struggle with debilitating illnesses as a result.
© GettyRipa’s long career as a daytime host
Ripa began her career as an actress, notably playing the role of Haley Vaughan in the soap opera “All My Children.” She began her work as a daytime host in 2001, when she joined Regis Philbin on “Live with Regis and Kelly.”
Following Philbin’s death in 2020, Ripa shared a moving tribute about her former co-worker. “As people get older, you always know that certain things are inevitable, and passing away is one of those things, but Regis is one of the people that we all believed would somehow figure out a way around the inevitable,” she said.
“It was not in the cards, I suppose.”
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