Kelly Ripa And Ryan Seacrest Can't Agree On When To Eat Thanksgiving Dinner

Many people have strong opinions about what's served during Thanksgiving dinner. Some prefer to stuff the turkey itself, while others swear by baking the stuffing separately to avoid any food safety issues. Some find the taste of canned cranberry sauce nostalgic and can't go without it, whereas others prefer to whip up cranberry sauce from scratch with flavorful additions like orange zest and brandy. However, it seems there's another big debate related to Thanksgiving dinner, and it has nothing to do with what's actually served. Instead, it's all about what time you plan to plate up that feast for your family and friends.

On a recent episode of popular morning show "Live with Kelly and Ryan," co-hosts Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest discussed the matter — and they happen to be on opposing sides, as People reports. Seacrest falls into the group of individuals who believe the feast should be served mid-afternoon, so he typically eats Thanksgiving dinner around 2:30 p.m. While his co-stars in the episode disagreed, it seems that Seacrest has plenty of supporters across the U.S. who would agree with his stance. Back in 2013, YouGov surveyed 1,000 adults about various Thanksgiving queries, including when they plate up the meal. A mere 6% indicated that they dine after 6 p.m, while 35% dine between noon and 3 p.m., just like Seacrest.

Ripa took a strong stance on the timing of the festive meal on the show, stating, "I do not understand everyone's obsession with having Thanksgiving dinner at 2 p.m," and further explaining that such an early dining time leads to everyone being hungry later in the evening and potentially eating all the leftovers on the same day (via People). Comedian Kevin Hart, who was one of the guests on "Live with Kelly and Ryan" that day, falls firmly into Ripa's camp, sharing that his family typically enjoys Thanksgiving dinner around 8 p.m. He even threw shade at Seacrest's early dining habit with, "I will literally fight you! Oh my god, I would be so upset [if I had to eat that early]."

A short clip of the exchange was posted on Instagram, and many others weighed in on the conversation in the comments section. Some agreed with Ripa and Hart, saying that dining in the evening hours is the only acceptable choice, while others were Team Seacrest, insisting that afternoon mealtimes are best for making it to multiple obligations or even leaving "room for seconds," as one individual wrote. However, one user took a more diplomatic approach to the controversial question, commenting, "I think whatever time works for your family is the right time."