Kelly Ripa has been at the helm of LIVE for over 24 years, and her time on the show hasn't come without its challenges to make entertaining television. During the January 6 episode of LIVE with Kelly and Mark, the host recalled an incident that occurred during an on-air skiing segment shot on location in Banff.
"Yesterday I told a story about the time that Michael Gelman used to run a real reckless ship around here," she shared. "It’s not like now with rules and regulations. We have HR now. Who even knew that existed?" Michael Gelman has been an executive producer on LIVE for over 28 years.
Kelly revealed that "Gelman dragged [her] up a mountain and got [her] drunk, and then handed [her] two flaming torches, and told [her] to ski down the mountain with them" for the special segment, which originally aired on April 5, 2012.
© Getty Images"Now again, back in 2012, I had not yet advanced to being a terrible skier," she added. "Now I’m just a regular terrible skier. But back then, I was a dangerous, reckless skier who could potentially harm myself and others. And Gelman said, 'I don’t care. This is too good, we're putting it on TV.' And you found the footage."
The old clip was then played during the episode and Mark Consuelos chimed in on the conversation. "I remember telling you, 'Sweetheart, be careful going down the hill,'" he recalled. "I said, 'Be careful,' and you got angry with me," he said, before imitating Kelly slurring her words, '"Don’t tell me what to do down this hill.'"
Mark said he skied down behind his wife, adding that he was "blocking traffic."
"The best way to ski well is to be totally unaware. For the first time ever – because it was dark, because there was a camera light in my face, I was really sort of blinded," said Kelly.
© ABCDespite the on-air mishap, Kelly and Michael share a close relationship. Michael spoke to us in an interview about the legacy of LIVE and working with the couple. "I've known them for over a quarter century," he shared. "Kelly has been working with me that long directly. I knew them before when they were just on the soaps, and Mark has cohosted about 100 times over the years, but now he's the permanent guy, so it's wonderful to have the LIVE family grow even more with a real married couple as part of the everyday show."
© Getty ImagesIt turns out Kelly and Mark's playful banter isn't just for the cameras. "They have the same relationship on-and-off the air, and that's part of the magic, so you see their interaction every day, just like a live married couple," Michael said.
Since the departure of the late Regis Philbin in 2011, LIVE has gone through several co-hosts in recent years, including Ryan Seacrest (2017-2023) and Michael Strahan (2012-2016), in addition to a range of guest hosts. But for now, Michael revealed that there are no plans to change the format of the show. "We're doing great now, and I think it will continue for many years to come," he told us.
