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It was a bittersweet morning on Live with Kelly and Mark.
Art Moore, WABC’s vice president of programming and the morning show’s executive in charge of production, is retiring after 36 years working on Live! and 53 at the network. Hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos gave Moore his flowers on air Friday morning — and so did the audience, who gave him a rousing round of applause and a standing ovation.
This is what he will miss the most come Monday. Ahead of his final show, he told Deadline that “the hardest part for me [is] leaving the people.”
“I don’t think I can watch the show for the first couple of weeks, because I’ll get myself crazy,” he said. “I need to divorce myself, you know, from being there every day.”
Moore first became part of the ABC family in 1966, working for WKBW-TV in Buffalo, New York, which at the time was part of the Capital Cities/ABC group. He began working on Live! in its second season, when it was still The Morning Show, and has watched it evolve over more than three decades.
Since then, he’s become a beloved and vital part of the network.
“I met Art my first day at WABC NY 25 years ago this month. Throughout all my roles at the company, he has been my constant touch point – a mentor, a colleague, and a true friend. To say he will be missed is an understatement,” Debra O’Connell, President, News Group & Networks, Disney Entertainment Television, said in a statement to Deadline. “His impact on television is immeasurable and will be appreciated for years to come, but it’s his light, warmth, laughter, and of course, impeccable style that we will miss at the office every day. He’s one of a kind.”
Throughout his tenure, Moore has also made an indelible mark on Live! audiences, who will surely miss his appearances on the show, particularly in the Halloween episodes, which he says he “wisely or wrongly” began participating in many years ago.
As he prepared for his final day, Moore reminisced about decades of fond memories, including the fan-favorite Halloween episode where he dressed as Wonder Woman, which he says went awry when he spent a little too long spinning on a platform in the beginning of the segment, causing him to stumble as he walked on stage.
Moore says those moments where things don’t go exactly according to plan are the heartbeat of the show, and they’re the reason that audiences have stuck around for as long as they have. Laughing through them, rather than giving into any anxiety they might bring, is something he learned from the late Regis Philbin.
“If there was a mistake, the fact that he would turn that mistake into a bit and make it appear to the viewer as if that’s how it was supposed to be, I mean, he was a master at that. I used to say he could make changing a light bulb interesting,” Moore said. “It ingratiates the talent with the audience, because they see…these mistakes, and they’re a part of it. So they sort of feel like they’re on the inside of something that they don’t get on other shows.”
When asked what he’d like his legacy at the network to be, Moore said he hopes it’s built on “patience and listening.”
“I think sometimes when you have a show that has been successful, you keep thinking, ‘Okay, well, it’s going to be successful, and we really don’t have to change anything.’ And that’s not the case. You do need to change, but you need to do it carefully,” he said. “So you’ve got to listen to what, collectively, people think. You’ve got to get a feel of the entertainment business as it is today, and then incorporate that into the context of the show to make it fresh, but yet keep the basics.”
Even as he steps aside, Moore believes that the most exciting chapter for Live! is still ahead, as Ripa and Consuelos continue their second year of co-hosting together.
He says watching the couple flourish since Consuelos joined full time has been a joy — one that he will miss witnessing each morning.
“I cannot tell you the number of people who say to me, ‘Well, who writes their material?’ I said, ‘Nobody writes anything!” he laughed.
On saying goodbye to Moore, Ripa and Consuelos said: “While we are all thrilled for Art’s well deserved retirement, and the knowing that he’ll have time to enjoy this new chapter, it cannot be overstated how much his absence will leave a tremendous void, not only in the studio, but in our hearts. He is a stabilizing presence, a creative force, a tireless advocate and a fearless leader. Nobody has ever worked harder. Nobody will be missed more.”
