Kelly Ripa Reflects on 'Impactful' 9/11 Tribute in New York — 25 Years After 'Live' Co-host Saw Attacks On-Air
Kelly Ripa reported on the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
Sept. 10 2026, Updated 3:21 p.m. ET
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos reflected on witnessing the testing of the lights for the upcoming 9/11 memorial in New York City, 25 years after the tragic attacks that left thousands dead.
The topic came up during the Wednesday, September 9, episode of Live With Kelly as the married co-hosts talked about what they did on Tuesday evening.
Tribute in Light in NYC
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos saw testing for the 9/11 memorial.
"We had a beautiful night last night," Consuelos shared. "We saw the 9/11 memorial. They test out the beams of light. So, we were able to see that last night."
Consuelos appeared to be referring to NYC's Tribute in Light. The art installation, which first debuted in 2002, shines two blue beams of light every year in remembrance of the loss of lives in the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.
"Assembled on the roof of the Battery Parking Garage south of the 9/11 Memorial, the twin beams reach up to four miles into the sky and are comprised of 88 7,000-watt xenon lightbulbs positioned into two 48-foot squares, echoing the shape and orientation of the Twin Towers. The installation can also be viewed from a 60-mile radius around lower Manhattan," the website for the installation read.
Kelly Ripa Says 9/11 Memorial Is Always 'Impactful' to See
Mark Consuelos called the art installation 'emotional' to see.
"It's always...always very-" Ripa began, seemingly attempting to find the right words to describe the moment.
Her husband cut in, "Emotional?"
Ripa added that it was always "impactful to see those lights" every year.
Kelly Ripa and Regis Philbin Reported on 9/11 on 'Live'
Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa were on air during coverage of the World Trade Center attacks.
This comes as resurfaced footage of Live with Regis and Kelly from September 11, 2011, has been circulating online.
The hit morning show was rebranded in early 2001 when Ripa joined Regis Philbin as co-host after the departure of Kathie Lee Gifford.
The show, which airs weekday mornings at 9 a.m. on the East Coast, began filming mere minutes after American Airlines Flight 11 hit the North Tower at the World Trade Center.
Ripa and Philbin were both visibly shaken and appeared to be unsure what to say as they reported on the event, unaware whether this was a tragic accident or an attack.
Kelly Ripa Called 9/11 Attacks the 'Worst' Thing She'd Ever Seen
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Kelly Ripa called 9/11 the 'worst tragedy' back in 2001.
"This is the worst thing I think I’ve ever seen in my life," the mother-of-three said at one point in resurfaced clips from the show.
She also remarked it may be the "worst tragedy" to "ever strike New York City."
After the second plane hit, Philbin admitted that the incidents felt "deliberate," but little was known at the time and he was hesitant to speculate deeply on the subject.
"It’s kind of difficult to continue the kind of show that we do here every morning under these circumstances," Philbin said at the time. "So we’ll stay with this for a little while."
Partway through the episode, live news coverage replaced the show.
Philbin and Ripa co-hosted Live for nearly 11 years. Philbin's last appearance was in late 2011. The television host died at 88 years old in 2020.
