Kelly Rizzo Accepts Critics Impact Award in Late Husband Bob Saget's Honor

Kelly Rizzo honored her late husband, Bob Saget, on a special night! On Sunday, the travel blogger attended the Fourth Annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards and accepted the Impact Award, which was posthumously awarded to the comedian and presented to his wife by his friend, John Stamos.  

Rizzo took the stage in a rare appearance and praised her husband’s work during a tearful speech. "It's so wonderful to see how incredibly loved he still is by everybody, and I know that Bob would be so honored and so thrilled and so grateful to receive this award right now," the 43-year-old said of her late husband.  

"I mean, he would be blown away. All he wanted to do was make people happy. He just wanted to make people laugh, and make people smile," she added. 

Rizzo shared that it’s “surreal” to accept awards on his behalf, and promised that she and his three daughters will continue to honor him and his lasting legacy. “Bob's incredible daughters and I are so honored to be able to accept this on Bob's behalf. And this is very bittersweet, because this is just still… It's so surreal,” she said.  

"You watch that, and you look at him, and you're like, 'Bob was larger than life.' He was so full of life. He was a force of nature. And you watch that, and you're like, 'How is he not the one that's on the stage right now?' It still doesn't make sense. It still doesn't really compute," she shared. 

Saget died on Jan. 9 at the age of 65. 

The actor, who hosted the awards ceremony in 2018, was honored for his unscripted work and the positive impact he made with America’s Funniest Home Videos, which he hosted from 1989 to 1997. 

Ahead of Rizzo taking the stage, Stamos, Saget’s Full House co-star and longtime friend, gave a touching introduction.

"Bob Saget was the biggest self-critic I ever met. He questioned every choice. He thought about every project he did. He doubted himself in the darkest night," Stamos told the crowd.  

"Imagine his surprise, as he looks down on former world industry insiders lauding his 12th content creation in the world of entertainment and nonfiction with none other than the Critics Choice Real TV Impact Award," he added. 

Stamos, 58, became choked up as he reflected on the comedian’s brilliance and unparalleled generosity. Stamos celebrated the director, producer, stand-up comedian and New York Times best-selling author’s success across media platforms and the way he was admired by his colleagues outside of work. 

“A lot of colleagues...were charmed by his humor, his intelligence, and his open expression of love for family, friends, and his fans,” he told the crowd. “Known as a comedian's comedian, he was both a family funny guy, and an aristocrat of dirty jokes. The outpouring tributes from the filthiest comments to grandmothers in the Midwest showed just the range of audience that he had adoring him." 

Stamos continued about his friend, “Fortunately, his legacy lives in my life. The guy taught me how to love deeply, fully allowed me to find such joy and such gratitude in my marriage and my father."

Before running the video package dedicated to the actor, Stamos told the crowd, “Tonight’s Critics Choice Real TV Impact honor only affirms what we all know about Bob Saget’s grace and his goodness."

The award came two days after the star-studded tribute to Saget, Dirty Daddy: The Bob Saget Tribute,premiered on Netflix over the weekend. 

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