On the Disney-syndicated talk show Live with Kelly and Ryan on Monday, Ali Wentworth (Mrs. George Stephanopoulos) appeared to great praise -- "one of the funniest people we know," said co-host Ryan Seacrest. What followed was a tale of the entire Stephanopoulos family weeping in the car for 45 minutes when George told his family that Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died.
ALI WENTWORTH: George runs out, by the way, with the wallet. And me and our two [teenage] girls, Elliott and Harper, we are just sitting at this restaurant for 45 minutes, enraged that he's just left us. So then I go outside, I see George pacing on the street, and I'm like "GEORGE!", and he's going like this to me [one hand outstretched]. That means like "I'm talking to someone." I come back in. We keep going "Daddy, Daddy." bugging him. He's live on ABC, talking about Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
RYAN SEACREST: He's doing a phone-in.
KELLY RIPA: And you didn't know.
WENTWORTH: And I didn't know!
It seems highly implausible that Wentworth and their daughters didn't consult their own phones to see what hot news was breaking. This isn't exactly the first time he's been summoned for breaking news. But that didn't allow for comedy:
WENTWORTH: I'm going "Hope she's worth it, whatever woman he's seeing," I hope this -- we finally get in the car. Me and the girls get into the car. We are waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting. He finally comes in. He bursts into tears. Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died. My two daughters. We sat there in the parking lot, crying for 45 minutes.
RIPA: I'm going to start crying again. I really am.
WENTWORTH: Mariska Hargitay gave my 18-year-old daughter Elliott this [RBG] doll, this emotional support doll. And Elliott gave it to me over the weekend. There you go, sister! [Tosses Kelly the doll]
RIPA: Thank you very much. [Applause]
After the tender feelings, Wentworth went back to joking: "Anyway, I thought George was crying about the brisket, but it really was about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. So that was my Friday night."
