Celebrity Celebrity Relationships Celebrity Married Life Ali Wentworth Jokes Every Wedding Anniversary with George Stephanopoulos Starts With 'Waking Up Alone in Bed' The comedian's sassy video message, which was played live on 'Good Morning America' on Monday, made her husband laugh — and get a bit choked up By Erin Clack Erin Clack Erin Clack is a Staff Editor for PEOPLE. She has been writing about fashion, parenting and pop culture for more than 15 years. People Editorial Guidelines Published on November 20, 2023 01:10PM EST Ali Wentworth and George Stephanopoulos. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Ali Wentworth is having a little fun with her husband George Stephanopoulos on their 22nd wedding anniversary! In honor of the occasion on Monday, the actress and comedian, 58, delivered a special video message to the Good Morning America co-host, 62, while he was live on-air. Before the clip played, Stephanopoulos appeared to be anticipating a touching message from his wife — but instead, Wentworth took a playful jab at him — and his early-morning job. "Happy anniversary, honey," Wentworth said in the video, while dressed in pajamas and lying in bed. "Twenty-two years … twenty-two years of waking up on our anniversary alone in bed — only to watch you interview some beautiful actress on TV." As Wentworth's video played, a split screen captured Stephanopoulos on the set, at first shaking his head and then laughing at his wife's sassy message. "I love you. Come home!" she added as the video ended. Wentworth and GMA both shared the video on their respective Instagram pages. "Happy 22nd anniversary to our very own @gstephanopoulos and @therealaliwentworth! Thanks to Ali’s surprise anniversary message, we all laughed AND cried before 9am," GMA's caption read. During Monday's episode, Stephanopoulos went on to share that he had tried to call Wentworth earlier that morning — presumably to wish her a happy anniversary — but she didn't pick up. "Now I know why," he said, referring to her sneaky surprise. "I'm tearing up a bit. Twenty-two years ago today," a visibly emotional Stephanopoulos noted as he reflected on the marriage milestone. George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth Share Their Best Tips for a Happy Marriage Ali Wentworth and George Stephanopoulos. Noam Galai/Getty In a funny twist to the story, the former White House Communications Director also revealed that when he popped the question to Wentworth, she was asleep. "I took her to Greece so she sort of knew it was coming, but it was while she was taking a nap," he recounted. "And she did say yes when she woke up." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The pair — who shares two children, Elliott, 21, and Harper, 18 — met after being set up by a mutual friend. During a 2017 appearance on The Tonight Show, Wentworth admitted that she was initially a bit reluctant to go on the blind date. "I had a birthday party, all girls, and everyone said, 'You know, you have to start dating, Ali.' And I said, 'You know what, I live in L.A., it's either agents or actors — I'm not interested.' And one of them said, 'You should go out with my old boyfriend, George Stephanopoulos.' And I said, 'No, thank you,'" she recalled. George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth. Manny Carabel/Getty However, she was eventually swayed, thinking she would at least get "a good dinner party story" out of the date. As it turned out, the two sparked an instant connection, and the rest, as they say, is history. "I came in, we sat down, we both ordered the crab salad. And, I'm telling you, by the end of lunch, [it was] done," she continued. "We were engaged two months later. Married six months later." Ali Wentworth and George Stephanopoulos Recall 'Kicking Their Legs Up to Greek Music' at 2001 Wedding The couple tied the knot in 2001 in a traditional Greek wedding held in New York City. Earlier this year, Wentworth told PEOPLE the nuptials included lots of very lively Greek dancing. "One of my favorite memories from that event was watching these circles of people we loved, arm-in-arm, kicking their legs up to Greek music — the director Mike Nichols next to George's grandmother next to an 8-year-old flower girl next to my college roommate," she reminisced. In addition to her lighthearted video message on Monday, Wentworth also marked her anniversary with Stephanopoulos by sharing a photo from their wedding on Instagram, capturing the pair cutting an elaborate cake decorated with seashells. "22 years with my one and only… and, by the way, our cake was chocolate!" she wrote.