Kelly Ripa makes shocking on-air confession about pal David Muir: ‘He doesn’t even know’

David won an Emmy Award for World News Tonight in June

Kelly Ripa and David Muir’s friendship is the stuff of legend, with the pair cultivating a close bond over their years in the television business.

The duo are so close, in fact, that Kelly admitted to taking “indecent” photos with David’s picture, which is hung in Disney’s NYC studio where their respective shows are filmed.

Kelly’s practical joke

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Kelly admitted to taking “indecent” pictures with David’s studio photo

David joined the TV personality and her husband Mark Consuelos on Live with Kelly and Mark in July after clinching his third Emmy win for World News Tonight. Speaking about their studio move, Kelly revealed: “We have unfettered access to David in this building. Sometimes we just go up and stare at him and he doesn’t even know we’re there.”

David added that “there are terrifying, gigantic images of all of us in this building,” while Mark joked that he particularly likes a snap of the news anchor riding in a helicopter.

“I’ve got to tell you, I have some very indecent photos of me standing in front of your picture that I can’t show on the air,” Kelly teased. “Because they told me it was not suitable for broadcast.”

Fast friends

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The anchor is close with Kelly’s family

The 51-year-old is close with Kelly and Mark’s family, and often stays with them at their Hamptons home in the summer. The couple share kids Michael, 28, Lola, 24, and Joaquin, 22.

“I kind of miss our weekends together,” the blonde beauty admitted. “You are a great grill master, your cheeseburgers are delicious. Joaquin would rather eat at David’s than anywhere else on earth.”

Their friendship began in David’s early days on World News Tonight, with Kelly sharing that she was struck by his presence after watching the show.

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The 51-year-old anchors World News Tonight

“I remember when I first saw David Muir file a report for World News Tonight. I didn’t know him at all,” she said on a previous episode of Live. 

“I immediately cracked into the ABC News system email — which you’re not supposed to use unless it’s for news — and I wrote: ‘Dude. You looked amazing tonight. Don’t know what was going on. Looked kinda dangerous where you are. But just wanted to let you know that you looked amazing. I had the volume down.’”

A major achievement

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His team won an Emmy for World news Tonight

Meanwhile, the co-hosts congratulated David for his incredible achievement at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards in June, where his team took home the Outstanding Live News Program award.

“I predict you’re literally going to be the Oprah Winfrey of the evening news, where you take yourself out of contention so the other anchors have [a chance],” the mother of three joked.

David has worked hard to become the most-watched news anchor in America, and explained to People the incredible progress he had made since his early days in the newsroom.

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He reminisced about rising through the ranks of the newsroom

“I still feel like I’m that kid racing into that local newsroom all those years ago,” he said.

“I began interning, carrying all the equipment — and back then the equipment was huge and heavy — and I’d jump into the back of the cruiser and I was honestly the happiest kid.”

“All these years later, I look back on that as a defining moment in my life,” he concluded.