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David Muir and Kelly Ripa in 2016© Paul Bruinooge

David Muir makes heartfelt confession to good friend Kelly Ripa following public show of love

The ABC star is the host of 20/20 and World News Tonight with David Muir

Hanna Fillingham
US Managing Editor
November 12, 2023
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David Muir is so loved by his family and friends, and this was more apparent than ever before on November 8, when he marked his milestone 50th birthday.

While the ABC star marked the occasion in a low-key way, opting to avoid posting about it on his own social media accounts, his good friend Kelly Ripa had other ideas! 

The Live host took to Instagram to post a series of pictures of them together throughout the years, including a lovely one of them on vacation together holding a baby. 

VIDEO: David Muir and Kelly Ripa's friendship

After writing in the caption: "Happy birthday to @davidmuirabc, the man of the world as well as the world news!" 

David made a sweet, heartfelt confession to his good friend. He wrote: "How lucky am I to have you all in my life— love that consuelos family." 

David Muir shared a heartfelt message back to Kelly Ripa's birthday tribute
David Muir shared a heartfelt message back to Kelly Ripa's birthday tribute

The star then joked: "Did we steal a baby in #1." Other photos from the reel included one of David posing with Kelly as she showcases a floral crown on her head, and another of the World News Tonight with David Muir star relaxing on a yacht out at sea. 

David and Kelly have been good friends for many years, and subsequently has a close relationship with the rest of her family too. 

Anchorman/journalist David Muir and actress/TV Host Kelly Ripa attends the 6th Annual Save the Children Illumination Gala at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City on November 14, 2018.© Getty Images
David Muir and Kelly Ripa go back years

He spends a lot of the summer at Kelly's beautiful family home in the Hamptons, where they enjoy plenty of barbecues. During another previous appearance on Live, David opened up about their friendship while talking to Kelly. 

"You are a great grill master, your cheeseburgers are delicious," the All My Children star gushed. "Joaquin would rather eat at David's than anywhere else on earth." 

David Muir and Kelly Ripa  on red carpet at
Save The Children Illumination Gala, New York, USA - 14 Nov 2018© Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
David Muir and Kelly Ripa often go on vacation together

The mother-of-three also gave David a special shoutout in her book, Live Wire, in 2022, where she called him the "backbone and moral compass I need sometimes". 

No stranger to going on vacations with Kelly and the rest of her brood, David enjoyed his latest trip with the Ripa-Consuelos family in June, but it didn't go completely to plan on one of the days! 

Kelly and David have been pals for years© Desiree Navarro
The famous friends both work for ABC

In July, David appeared on Live to talk about a challenging situation that occured when the trio went to Greece and did a lot of walking - getting a bit too close to the edge in the process! 

Explaining that they had gone to all the "little islands" in Greece where they were "outnumbered by goats," David told the audience that Mark was in charge of getting the group around with his high-tech Google map app. 

David Muir shares birthday tribute to friend Kelly Ripa on Instagram© Instagram
David Muir's own birthday tribute to Kelly Ripa

He said: "We would be on these trails, we weren't always convinced but he [Mark] always found the way... but there was this moment where we were so high up on the hills, and the water was beautiful... and Mark was leading the way, and then Kelly.... and it was close to the edge [of the water]... you could hear the pebbles..." Kelly then interjected: "it was like, are we going to be on World News Tonight?" 

"With me, but the wrong way," David joked. "The headline would read "David Muir and others found at the bottom of the ravine," Kelly added. 

"I couldn't tell them how nerve wracking that was until we were at the top. That was the biggest scare," David concluded. Luckily, while the trip proved a little more scary than they had anticipated, the group all lived to tell the tale with great humor.

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