It looks like someone working for Kelly Ripa didn't read the room correctly.
The 53-year-old is on vacation with her talk show co-host and husband, Mark Consuelos, and in the meantime, ABC has been airing re-run episodes of Live With Kelly and Mark.
It seems producers didn't watch the re-run that was aired on Tuesday, April 2, beforehand, as Ripa begged special guest Mary J. Blige for an invitation on her friend Sean "Diddy" Combs' yacht. At the moment, the embattled rapper is the subject of a s-- trafficking investigation and five sexual assault-related lawsuits.
In the episode, originally aired in June 2023, Ripa and Consuelos praised Blige for her flattering figure in a photo of the "Family Affair" singer, 53, posing on the yacht.
Providing background information on where the stunning snap was taken, the award-winning artist revealed: "I was in Capri, and I was actually visiting my big brother Puff’s boat."
In response, Ripa enthusiastically replied, "next time you go on Puff’s boat, we’d like to!"
While the interview was conducted prior to Combs' intense legal woes coming to light, the re-run airing was terrible timing, as it was just one week ago that the "I'll Be Missing You" rapper's Los Angeles and Miami homes were raided by federal Homeland Security agents in connection to an ongoing human trafficking probe.
At the time the interview was initially conducted, Combs was still respected within the world of Hollywood and even received the Global Icon Award last September at the MTV VMAs — just two months before his ex-girlfriend Casandra "Cassie" Ventura hit him with the first of many lawsuits and accused the rapper of rape and physical abuse throughout their relationship, which lasted from 2005-2018.
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Live With Kelly and Mark producers seemed to realize their mistake in re-run choices, considering a clip of the show shared Tuesday was taken down from YouTube after the media noticed the awkward timing of their actions.
Blige has yet to comment on Combs' scandal since the situation landed the 54-year-old in headlines, however, the renowned rapper himself previously denied any wrongdoing when accused of sexual assault.
"For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy," Diddy declared in December 2023. "Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth."
