Retirement is a natural part of any working human’s life — or at least it should be — but it still catches us off guard when a beloved figure announces their intent to retreat from the spotlight.
This is made all the more painful when that figure is someone like Art Moore, a dedicated ABC staple who has spent more than five decades contributing to the programs we see on our screens every day. The beloved Live production executive announced his intent to retire in May, and his exit from the network is fast approaching.
As hundreds prepare to say goodbye to the longtime favorite, they’re reexamining his legacy. After more than 50 years working with ABC, Moore feels like family to many, and they’re not quite ready to say goodbye.
Who is Art Moore?
Art Moore is, by today’s viewers, best known as the production executive behind Live! With Kelly and Mark, but he’s been with the show since long before it landed on that name. He first joined the program in 1983, when it was still called The Morning Show, and he’s been a staple ever since.
His primary focus, for decades now, has been on non-news programming at WABC-TV, even showing up on camera at several points across the show’s lengthy tenure. He quickly became a favorite among viewers, largely thanks to his appearances in Halloween episodes, but that doesn’t come close to the love his co-workers feel for him.
A slew of Moore’s ABC co-workers heaped praise on the beloved network staple, who joined the ABC family all the way back in 1966, before many of us were born. Following news of his retirement, ABC staples like Kelly Ripa and Marilu Galvez, president and general manager of WABC-TV, shared emotional tributes to Moore, with Ripa promising to do everything in her power to convince him away from retirement. “You’re so important to me, personally, to our family,” she said, speaking directly to Moore. “You are one in a gazillion, and you mean so much to all of us here. You’re the most special, devoted, loyal, extraordinary person I’ve ever met in my life.”