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A video from Jelly Roll? A voicemail from The Fonz? New bucket list items unlocked!
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos welcomed Henry Winkler on Live with Kelly and Mark this Wednesday to discuss his upcoming show Hazardous History, which is set to debut on the History Channel this Sunday, June 15th. However, before they dived into the details of the new series, Winkler expressed gratitude to Ripa, playfully calling her his “mailman.”
Winkler recounted, “I sent a fan letter to Jelly Roll,” referring to the artist behind “Winning Streak.” He continued, “I wrote, ‘Dear Mr. Roll, I think you’re fantastic.’ And thanks to Kelly, I unexpectedly received a video on my phone from Mr. Roll himself.”
As the studio audience applauded Ripa, Consuelos likened his wife and co-host to “Santa Claus.”
Winkler agreed, “Like Santa Claus. I’m telling you, it was a gift.”
However, Ripa felt the same way about the Happy Days alum, who she said returned the favor.
“You’re like Santa Claus because you left me a voicemail, and I’ll treasure that message forever,” Ripa enthused. “Receiving a voicemail from Henry Winkler is a milestone in life. I cherish it.”
While Winkler shared the story on this morning’s episode, he had told Ripa about his fan letter to Jelly Roll on her Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast, and told the studio audience about the message he received during his Oct. 14 appearance on Live, per People.
“I never thought I would hear back and all of a sudden I got a video from Kelly of Mr. Roll thanking me,” he said at the time.
Ripa quipped that it was “the most exciting thing that has ever not happened to her,” noting how excited she was to be the “conduit” of this interaction. She also showed the video from Jelly Roll, in which he thanks Winkler for his kind words.
“Hey Mr. Winkler, it’s Jelly Roll. I have been hoping to see you because I got a note and they said it was from you. I didn’t believe it and this is my publicist. She hates being embarrassed but now she is,” he teases in the video, panning to his publicist sitting next to him. “She told me it was you, she confirmed, and I cannot tell you how much that meant to me. I will send you a picture when I get home. I hope you don’t mind I framed it.”
Jelly Roll even said he “hung it up on [his] wall,” where he’s placed “special” things from his career like “hand written lyrics from Craig Morgan.”
“Thank you, I’m absolutely honored Mr Winkler, I can’t wait to see you and hopefully give you a hug man. I’m a big hugger, I’ll squeeze you,” he teased.
Winkler is one of six TV figures recently inducted into this year’s class of the Television Academy’s Hall of Fame, alongside Viola Davis, Ryan Murphy, Conan O’Brien, Mike Post, and the late Don Mischer.
Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. Check out their website for your local listings.