Queen of the daytime talk show circuit, Kelly Ripa automatically feels like your BFF. And her sense of humor is positively infectious. So how does this mother, host, and one-of-a-kind entertainer really do it all? Let's take a look at Ripa's ever-stunning transformation throughout the years.
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00:00Queen of the daytime talk show circuit, Kelly Ripa automatically feels like your BFF,
00:05and her sense of humor is positively infectious. So how does this mother,
00:09host, and one-of-a-kind entertainer really do it all?
00:12Let's take a look at Ripa's ever-stunning transformation throughout the years.
00:16A New Jersey native, Ripa headed to New York City in her teens. When discussing her childhood,
00:21Ripa has always been open about her strong relationship with her mother, sharing in the
00:25book I Love You, Mom,
00:26"[Growing up, I knew that I could count on your help for any obstacle that I faced.
00:30I could depend on you to drop off my homework at school when I left it at home,
00:33drive me around to all of my activities, or even tell me my hair looked great when it was
00:38sprayed and teased to at least five feet in the air."
00:40And although Ripa's mom initially had reservations about her daughter's acting goals,
00:44she supported her. Ripa told Elle,
00:46"[She worried that I'd either get my heart broken or live under a bridge.]
00:50In 1990, Ripa landed the role of Hayley on All My Children.
00:54Just 20 years old at the time, Ripa later told Redbook,
00:57"[There was never any clear-cut path, and any time I tried to have a clear-cut path,
01:01that's usually when I would be disappointed. It's really 90 percent luck, 5 percent opportunity,
01:06and 5 percent skill."
01:07But after working on The Soap for more than a decade, Ripa was ready for a change. She said,
01:12"[When the opportunity came to host live, a lot of my friends said,
01:15you're not a talk show host, you're an actor. If you go on talk shows,
01:18that will be the end of your acting career. But after I took the talk show,
01:21I was offered the sitcom Hope & Faith, and lots of other acting jobs. You just have to take a leap."
01:27Ripa met future hubby Mark Consuelos on the set of All My Children,
01:30and it was love at first sight. She told Redbook,
01:33"[When I met Mark, I was just sort of thunderstruck. I had a dream about him that night.
01:37The next day, I went up to him and, although I didn't even know his name, I said,
01:41I had a dream about you last night. We were married and had a little girl and were on a
01:44plane to Rome. And he was like, oh really? And walked away, and probably thought about
01:48filing a restraining order." But clearly, 24-year-old Ripa didn't scare Consuelos away.
01:53The couple eloped in 1996, after dating less than a year.
01:58Ripa's biggest role came after first auditioning in 2000 to be one of the
02:01new hosts on Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee, and her audition did not disappoint.
02:05After a guest sidekick predicted Ripa's pregnancy on the show, and Ripa exclaimed,
02:10I haven't told my boss yet, she landed the gig. Executive producer for the show,
02:14Michael Gelman, remembered her audition in The Washington Post, saying,
02:17It was just such a real moment that it showed Kelly in a light for really who she was.
02:21She had that much honesty she couldn't not react.
02:24Although she may appear to be the very essence of cool on her show,
02:28Ripa hasn't always felt that way about herself in the past. She shared with Elle,
02:32No matter how much I try to cool myself up, I'm really dorky. I think that's why people get me."
02:36But she's also the first to tell you how cool she wants to be, saying,
02:40No matter how much I try to cool myself up, it's never going to happen for me.
02:44But like, am I dying to be cool? Yes, I'm dying to be.
02:48It's easy to see that Ripa's clearly fit. So how does the host look good, feel good,
02:53and keep a fitness regimen, while at the same time having the busiest schedule possible?
02:57She keeps moving. She told Shape,
02:59If you're housebound and you're not feeling so good about yourself,
03:01just try walking around your living room, or do five jumping jacks. It'll get your
03:05heart beating, you might feel energized, and you'll realize you could probably do five more.
03:09Her other tricks? Soul cycle is one, as well as yoga. She said,
03:13If I only have 15 minutes in the morning, I'll just do some yoga or some deep breathing.
03:17For me, it's more the mental aspect than fitness.
03:212016 saw new conflict for the 45-year-old when her current co-host on her talk show,
03:25Michael Strahan, announced he was leaving the show for a spot on Good Morning America.
03:29The news caught Ripa by surprise, and she felt the sting.
03:32She later opened up to People about the situation, saying,
03:35I think that all people are deserving of fair treatment in the workplace.
03:38People deserve respect. When you're dealing with big business,
03:41it's easy to forget that you're dealing with people, and that people have feelings.
03:45After Michael Strahan left Live, Ryan Seacrest joined Kelly for six years.
03:50Soon after Ryan Seacrest announced that he, too, would be departing Live,
03:53Kelly Ripa shared that a very special co-host would be taking his place — her husband,
03:57Mark Consuelos.
03:58I have loved, loved working every day of this past year with you.
04:02Thank you so much.
04:03The two had hosted the show together previously on a guest host basis. But on April 17,
04:082023, Consuelos officially became his wife's talk show partner on Live with Kelly and Mark.
04:13Ripa's former co-host, Ryan Seacrest, has nothing but praise for Consuelos.
04:17When the American Idol host returned to Live shortly after he parted ways with the series,
04:21he told Ripa and Consuelos that he couldn't get enough of watching them together.
04:26Another of Kelly's side projects is her podcast Let's Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa.
04:30The daytime talk show host announced her podcast in February 2023,
04:34and she released her first episode the following month. Ripa's husband was her
04:37very first guest. Since then, Ripa has recruited major celebrities to chat,
04:41such as Carol Burnett, Salma Hayek, Matthew McConaughey, and more.
04:45The series has gotten great reviews, with fans praising it for being inspirational and real.
04:50As one listener wrote in an Apple Podcast comment,
04:52"[Kelly and team are fantastic — funny, honest,
04:55great guests, and she's a fabulous interviewer. I feel like I'm listening to a group of friends."
05:00Being married in Hollywood for 28 years is like being married anywhere else for 100.
05:05To mark the milestone, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos celebrated 28 years of marriage on
05:10Where Else? Live with Kelly and Mark. The duo began their May 1,
05:132024 show by dancing to Stevie Wonder before digging into their history as husband and wife.
05:18Ripa didn't limit the public celebration of her 28th wedding anniversary to her talk show.
05:22The host also took to Instagram to show her husband some love.
05:25She captioned a carousel of photos,
05:27"[Squeezing 28 years into 10 pics is not possible, but you get the idea.]
05:32Happy anniversary to the love of my life. So grateful to you for all the dreams come true."