For decades, Kelly Ripa's been a chipper and charming constant in the ever-changing world of daytime TV. But is she really that perky off-camera?
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00:00For decades, Kelly Ripa's been a chipper and charming constant in the ever-changing world
00:05of daytime TV. But is she really that perky off-camera?
00:09When Ryan Seacrest announced he'd be leaving Live in early 2023, ABC didn't look far for
00:15Ripa's new co-host. She and husband Mark Consuelos began co-hosting in April, but they were already
00:20comfortable sharing the small screen. The couple met in 1996, when they were paired
00:25up and fell in love both on and off screen in All My Children.
00:29Consuelos had successfully pinch-hit as guest host on Live a number of times. While some
00:34couples might have a hard time working together, Consuelos and Ripa seemed to bring out the
00:38best in each other.
00:40I walked up to him at a screen test and I said, I had a dream about you.
00:46On the air, they talk openly and honestly about married life, even if it's occasionally
00:50a little too much information. But if you think it's all a schtick, think again. The
00:54longtime couple seem to be as rock-solid in their private life as they act on camera.
00:59It's so weird when you're here because I just saw you at home.
01:05In fact, they appear to be as head-over-heels now as they were back in their soap opera
01:09days. On social media, they regularly share PDA-heavy photos, as well as throwback photographs
01:15of their life together.
01:16On their 28th wedding anniversary, Ripa posted a series of shots to Instagram gushing,
01:21Squeezing 28 years into 10 pics is not possible, but you get the idea. Happy anniversary to
01:27the love of my life. So grateful to you for all the dreams come true. Aww.
01:32Ripa makes no secret of her love of fitness, wellness, and self-care. In a 2019 feature
01:37for The Cut, she talked about her serious commitment to cardio, saying,
01:41"...I was talking to a cardiologist and he said to make sure your heart beats out of
01:45your chest every day. The more you exercise, the healthier it is."
01:49Ripa's workout regimen includes cardio dance classes, SoulCycle, and running. She also
01:54works with Anna Kaiser, a celebrity trainer. In 2024, Kaiser chatted with Hello! magazine
01:59about training Ripa, whom she described as being incredibly dedicated.
02:03"...14 years I've been doing this workout and I still don't look like this."
02:08She told the outlet that Ripa exercises almost every day and has never canceled a session,
02:13which frankly, sounds impossible. Kaiser said,
02:16Even when she travels, she'll do the workouts virtually if she needs to. Everyone knows
02:20that it's her hour, morning or evening. She gets 45 minutes in and that is her time.
02:25If there's one thing we know about Ripa and Consuelos, it's that they're always talking
02:29about their sex life. On a 2022 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Ripa
02:35admitted that they got busy while visiting Cohen's house.
02:38"...It was a rental house. I figured I wasn't desecrating anything at all."
02:43And on a 2019 episode of Live!, the couple shared that their daughter has accidentally
02:47walked in on them at awkward moments.
02:49"...You just ruined my birthday and my life and I used to see in color and now everything
02:57is gray."
02:59Actor John Stamos even complained that he was sick of hearing about them knocking boots
03:03all the time.
03:04Speaking with Radio Andy in 2020, Ripa said she believes getting together when they did
03:09benefited them in the bedroom department in the long run, explaining,
03:12"...I think we found each other at the right time in our lives. We were really pliable
03:16to each other. We really learned each other well. With that comes a certain level of comfort
03:21and confidence and experimentation and just fun."
03:24There's no doubt that Ripa can't keep her hands off her husband, and doesn't mind letting
03:28the world know about it, even joking about where their kids were conceived while accepting
03:32her Disney Legend Award in 2024.
03:35It seems like Ripa really did find her prince charming, and she isn't about to trade him
03:39in anytime soon.
03:41When you work with someone for a long time, there's a good chance that you'll clash at
03:44some point. Ripa, however, seems to have it particularly bad with regard to some of her
03:49former co-workers. Though they seemed thick as thieves when they shared the screen on
03:53Live with Regis and Kelly from 2001 to 2011, Ripa and Regis Philbin's relationship fell
03:58apart after he left the series.
04:00"...Never once did they ask me to go back."
04:02Seven years after his departure, Philbin spilled the tea.
04:05She got very offended when I left. She thought I was leaving because of her. I was leaving
04:10because I was getting older, and that wasn't right for me anymore."
04:13Ripa also had problems when her next co-host, Michael Strahan, left in 2016. At the time,
04:19Ripa claimed she was caught off guard by his decision to jump ship for Good Morning America.
04:24"...I'm fairly certain that there are trained professional snipers with tranquilizer darts
04:29in case I drift too far off message."
04:32Though they managed to come together for Strahan's final shows,
04:35they didn't stay close. In a 2020 chat with The New York Times, the former NFL player
04:40claimed he was treated like Ripa's sidekick, rather than a partner and teammate. Strahan
04:45also revealed that, while he tried to have regular meetings with Ripa to enhance their
04:49show, it didn't work out as planned, saying,
04:51"...We met a few times, and that was fine. But then eventually, she said she didn't need
04:55to meet. Can't force somebody to do something they don't want to do."
04:59Starting in 1990, Ripa was on one of daytime TV's most popular soap operas, and since
05:052001, she's hosted one of daytime's biggest talk shows.
05:08"...Ryan and I are just friends. Comprende? You tear me apart, and he puts me back together."
05:15You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who didn't recognize her at this point. She's
05:19pretty much never gonna blend in, which can, at times, be awkward and inconvenient. As
05:24she put it to Entertainment Weekly,
05:25"...when I go into the restroom and I will hear,
05:27that's Kelly Ripa. Now I can't go, even though I have to go desperately."
05:31While she may not appreciate getting spotted when she's trying to use a public restroom,
05:36it seems like Ripa does enjoy her fans. In a Reddit thread titled,
05:39"'Is Kelly Ripa Arrogant and Unfriendly in Person?' one user shared,
05:43"'My father was a big fan of her before he died. He attended a live show and she was
05:48very friendly to him. She acknowledged him and thanked him for the support.'"
05:51In a Quora thread, a user pointed out that Ripa was kind to them when
05:55he met her while working on the catering staff at a gala, writing,
05:59"'I liked her. We had a short conversation about what part of New Jersey I was from.
06:03She was always very polite.'"
06:05Ripa and Andy Cohen have been friends ever since they met at a Christmas party in New York back
06:09in the day. Over the years, Ripa has frequently appeared on Watch What Happens Live, and they've
06:14made it clear they're in each other's corner. Ripa's protective nature when it comes to her
06:19friends was on full display when Cohen was sued by former Real Housewives of New York City star
06:24Leah McSweeney, who alleged Cohen used drugs while producing the show. On a March 2024 episode
06:30of the Let's Talk Off-Camera podcast, Ripa said,
06:33"'I know him, like, off-camera. I know him privately. We've traveled together. We've
06:37gone on vacation together. Like, pre-him having kids, you know? I've never seen a
06:42drug around him. I'm so offended by it. I'm so angry over it.'"
06:45That wasn't the first time Ripa publicly defended Cohen, either. In early 2023,
06:50her then-co-host Ryan Seacrest complained on-air that Cohen snubbed him during the
06:54taping of a New Year's special. Ripa wasn't going to let Seacrest's remarks
06:59snowball into something it wasn't. She immediately set him straight,
07:03"'That's not true. He said he was trying to get your attention.' And that was that."
07:07As of 2024, Ripa reportedly earns $22 million a year for hosting live.
07:13That's a serious chunk of money, some of which goes toward important causes.
07:17In 2020, Ripa and Consuelos gave $1.5 million to WIN,
07:22a New York City-based charity that focuses on helping women and children. At the time,
07:26Ripa told People magazine that they wanted to make education accessible during the pandemic,
07:31explaining,
07:32"'Learning remotely under the best of circumstances is very challenging.
07:36Without proper technology, it is simply impossible.'"
07:39In 2024, Ripa and Consuelos helped to fundraise at the Michigan Medicine
07:44Women's Help Luncheon, and they did a great job. The event brought in around $750,000.
07:49In addition, Ripa has supported the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance,
07:53the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, UNICEF, and more.
07:57Kelly and Mark's three kids, Michael, Lola, and Joaquin Consuelos, are making their own
08:03ways in the world. But as much as she loves gushing about their accomplishments and sharing
08:07cute stories, Ripa has always done her best to protect her children's privacy.
08:11We have one that we can't even refer to at all.
08:13Yeah, we're not allowed to show pictures of one of them."
08:17And another will block Ripa if she dares leave a comment on their Instagram,
08:21so she tries to honor their requests.
08:23But Ripa's not just supportive when it comes to respecting boundaries. After her eldest,
08:29Michael, graduated from college in 2020 with a degree in film,
08:32she and Mark offered to help him out until work picked back up.
08:35He had a writing job lined up, which evaporated because the pandemic shut down the production,
08:42and it just never came back."
08:44She also noted that they paid for Lola and Joaquin's core expenses while they were in
08:48college, but the kids didn't get a permanent free ride.
08:51Once you graduate, that's over.
08:54Sounds more than fair — and remarkably healthy.