ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir will anchor a 24-hour Fourth of July special across ABC and Disney platforms, he revealed during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark on Friday.
The marathon broadcast begins Friday night with a focus on the Statue of Liberty and continues through Saturday morning.
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Muir will be live from the top of the Walt Disney Building overlooking the Hudson River at 5 a.
m. Saturday.
High-profile guests include MrBeast, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Brandi Carlile, and Nick Jonas, with Muir leading the primary coverage nationwide.
Co-hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, who share a close friendship with Muir, expressed surprise at the demanding schedule.
Consuelos asked, “You’re doing 24 hours?” Muir confirmed, “Yeah, 24 hours.”
Ripa joked, “Shouldn’t you be sleeping right now?”
Live Show History and Gifford’s Reflections
The program has evolved over decades. Kathie Lee Gifford co-hosted with Regis Philbin for 15 years until 2000.
Ripa took over in 2001 and celebrated her 25th anniversary this year.
After Philbin left in 2011, Ripa co-hosted with Michael Strahan (2012–2016), Ryan Seacrest (2017–2023), and her husband Consuelos since 2023.
In a recent People profile, Gifford discussed her tenure and current relationship with the show.
She said she was not interested in returning, citing her focus on filmmaking and writing musicals. “I was making movies and writing for theater!
I wrote about four different musicals,” she said.
