Kelly Ripa began Friday's episode of Live with Kelly and Mark on a bittersweet note, as she told the live audience that it was a "devastating day" for the show, as it was the day long-running ABC executive producer Art Moore,

It’s rare for an episode of Live with Kelly and Mark to feel somber, but on this morning’s show, Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos and the rest of the crew of the talk show spent most of the episode giving an emotional farewell to longtime ABC executive Art Moore, who retired today after more than five decades at the network.

Speaking with DECIDER in the show’s green room, Moore, whose last episode as part of the Live team airs on Friday, Sept. 20, deems his departure “bittersweet,” praising his co-workers as “the tough part” of leaving his post. When asked about his retirement plans, Moore jokes that he has none, which is what he claims “is exciting about it.”