Los Angeles: Disney chairman-CEO Bob Iger was a surprise guest on Friday's edition of 'Live with Kelly and Michael', presenting co-host Kelly Ripa with an award recognizing her 25 years of service at Disney.
Friday's episode of the Disney-produced syndicated series was devoted to marking Ripa's 15th anniversary on the show.
She started out with co-host Regis Philbin, after replacing his original partner Kathie Lee Gifford.
Former NFL star Michael Strahan has been her co-host since 2012.
Iger surprised Ripa at the end of the episode with the presentation of a Tinker Bell Award, which Disney gives to employees who log 25 years of service. Iger noted that before she joined 'Live', Ripa spent 10 years as a star of the ABC soap opera 'All My Children'.
In handing the statuette to a tearful Ripa, Iger revealed that the mischievous fairy from 'Peter Pan' was his favorite Disney character.
"You remind me of Tinker Bell, short, sweet and really sassy," he told Ripa.
Ripa was emotional as she addressed the crowd in the closing moments of the show.
She noted that her "good fortune of such a long run on a successful show would not have happened without the audience that is so supportive and so accepting of me into your homes every day. It's an honor that I don't take for granted even for a second."