Kelly Ripa recalled being around a “remarkable” moment in history on this morning’s Live with Kelly and Mark.
She and Mark Consuelos welcomed George Stephanopoulos this morning, who discussed his book, The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis. As for what inspired the former Democratic advisor to craft the book, he said “the title,” noting that once he “heard that no one had ever really done a popular history, [he] dove in immediately, and it was an incredibly fun project.”
Consuelos eventually brought up the famous picture taken in 2011 during the takedown of Osama Bin Laden, which features then president and VP Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as members of the national security team, such as Hillary Clinton.
“Is that the Situation Room?” Consuelos asked, to which Stephanopoulos clarified that it was “a room right off the Situation Room.”
“It’s part of the Situation Room complex, but it was the only place they could get the video feed,” he shared. “And that’s why everybody sort of migrated into that room once that officer was giving them a live feed from what was happening in Pakistan. It has become now the most iconic photo ever taken in the Situation Room, and what a night that was for the country.”
Ripa chimed in, “We tell the kids about this, because, you know, they always talk about that night and where were you and do you remember it. And nobody believes me when I tell them this. I mean, in my family, nobody believes it, but we were at the White House.”
Stephanopoulos asked, “They let you in that day?”
Ripa recalled, “So we were doing a Run Across America, and we were working with Michelle Obama at the time. It was about getting kids moving and getting fit. And I said to [Live producer] Jan [Schillay], ‘We are leaving.’ I started packing up. I’m like, we’re going home. They’re going to send us out of here. They were like, ‘No, we are doing this. They are doing that, and we are doing this.’ And I was amazed.”
Stephanopoulos noted that it was “such a consequential weekend,” as that was also “right after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, when President Obama had taken on Donald Trump.”
“We were at that dinner sitting with the White House Chief of Staff and the National Security Advisor, who were just on their phones the whole night long,” he said. “And Eric Stonestreet from Modern Family was also at our table. They did not let him go on Sunday. He was complaining that his White House tour had been canceled, and they were saying, ‘Oh, the plumbing’s not working.’”
Ripa replied, “Listen, I was the first one, I was like, ‘We’ll just show ourselves out. You don’t have to worry.’”
Stephanopoulos told Ripa, “What a special time to be there,” after which she called the experience “remarkable.”
“It was a remarkable time, and we really felt like we were a part of history,” she shared.
Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. Check out their website for your local listings.
