Kelly Ripa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kelly Ripa
Ripa at the opening of PaleyFest at the Paley Center for Media in Manhattan, New York, October 2023
Born	Kelly Maria Ripa (1970-10-02) October 2, 1970 (age 54) Stratford, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Actress talk show host television producer dancer
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	Mark Consuelos ​ (m. 1996)​
Children	3, including Lola

Kelly Maria Ripa (born October 2, 1970) is an American actress and a popular talk show host. Since 2001, she has been a co-host of the morning talk show Live! with Kelly and Mark. Over the years, she has hosted with Regis Philbin, Michael Strahan, Ryan Seacrest, and her husband Mark Consuelos.

As an actress, Kelly Ripa is well-known for playing Hayley Vaughan on the TV show All My Children (1990–2002, 2010). She also starred as Faith Fairfield on the sitcom Hope & Faith (2003–2006). Kelly and her husband, Mark Consuelos, own a TV production company called Milojo. In 2014, The Hollywood Reporter magazine called her one of the most powerful people in media.

Kelly Ripa's Early Life

Kelly Maria Ripa was born in Stratford, New Jersey. Her mom, Esther, was a homemaker, and her dad, Joseph Ripa, was a bus driver. Kelly grew up in nearby Berlin, New Jersey. She has a sister named Linda, who writes children's books.

When she was younger, Kelly appeared on a local dance show called Dancin' on Air. This show later became Dance Party USA on a national TV network. Kelly has Italian and Irish family roots. She went to Eastern Regional High School in New Jersey. Her drama teacher encouraged her to try acting. She performed in local plays and was discovered during a play called The Ugly Duckling. After high school, she studied psychology in college but left to become an actress in New York City.

Kelly Ripa's Career Journey

Early TV Shows and All My Children

Kelly Ripa's first national TV appearance was in 1986. She was a regular dancer on Dancin' On Air and Dance Party USA. At that time, she wanted to be a newscaster. She often reported the news for the show's cast.

In 1990, Kelly got her first big acting role. She played Hayley Vaughan on the TV show All My Children. She was on the show for 12 years, leaving in 2002. She came back for two episodes in 2010 to celebrate the show's 40th anniversary.

Hosting Live!

Ripa at the Red Dress Collection, 2007

After Kathie Lee Gifford left Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee, Regis Philbin looked for a new co-host. He invited Kelly Ripa to try out. Regis Philbin later said that Kelly had a "natural, quick-witted, unaffected, confident, fun-loving kind of sparkle."

On November 1, 2000, Kelly had her first tryout on Live! with Regis. A guest psychic even guessed that Kelly was pregnant with her second child! Regis Philbin felt that Kelly was the best choice. On February 5, 2001, Kelly was officially announced as the new co-host. The show was renamed Live! with Regis and Kelly. With Kelly, the show became very popular with younger viewers.

Regis and Kelly had great chemistry. Their funny conversations about their families and lives attracted many loyal viewers. In January 2011, Regis Philbin announced he would retire. His last show was on November 18, 2011. Kelly became the main host, and the show was called Live! with Kelly.

Many guest hosts tried out to join Kelly. These included famous people like Neil Patrick Harris and Jerry Seinfeld. Finally, Michael Strahan was chosen. The show became Live! with Kelly and Michael on September 4, 2012. Live! won its first Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show in 2012.

On May 16, 2016, the show's name changed back to Live! with Kelly after Michael Strahan left. Another group of guest hosts appeared. On May 1, 2017, Ryan Seacrest became the new co-host, and the show was renamed Live with Kelly and Ryan.

In February 2023, Ryan Seacrest announced he would leave the show in April 2023. He wanted to spend more time in Los Angeles. Kelly Ripa's husband, Mark Consuelos, took his place. The show is now called Live with Kelly and Mark. Ryan Seacrest still returns as a guest host sometimes.

Starring in Hope & Faith

In September 2003, Kelly Ripa started a new TV show called Hope & Faith. She played Faith Fairfield, a former soap opera star who was out of work. The show also starred Faith Ford. This sitcom was very successful for the ABC network. The show ended in May 2006.

Kelly Ripa's Film Roles

While Kelly is best known for TV, she has also been in movies. In 1996, she appeared in the movie Marvin's Room. She acted alongside famous stars like Meryl Streep and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Other Projects and Contributions

Being a Spokesperson

Kelly Ripa has worked as a spokesperson for many companies. This means she helps advertise their products. She has worked with brands like Tide, Pantene, and TD Bank. She currently works with Electrolux and Rykä.

For Rykä, Kelly helps design her own line of fitness clothing and shoes. For Electrolux, she appears in their TV ads and print ads.

Charity Work

Kelly Ripa cares a lot about helping others. She supports causes like helping people with cancer. She works with Electrolux to raise money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. Every summer, she hosts a big fundraising event called Super Saturday. In 2011, this event raised over $3.5 million. Kelly is dedicated to this cause because she lost a friend to cancer.

In 2001, she appeared on a celebrity version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. She won $250,000 for Tomorrow's Children's Fund. This group helps children with cancer and blood disorders.

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Milojo Production Company

In 2007, Kelly and her husband Mark Consuelos started their own production company called Milojo. The name Milojo comes from the first two letters of their children's names: Michael, Lola, and Joaquin.

Their first project was a documentary called The Streak. It was about a high school wrestling team's long winning streak. It was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2008. Milojo has also produced other TV shows and films. In 2012, they made a short film with Will Ferrell called "The Bensonhurst Spelling Bee." Kelly, Mark, and their son Michael were in it.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Kelly Ripa has received many awards for her work.

• In 1999, she won the Best Actress Award at a film festival for her role in The Stand-In.
• She has won five Soap Opera Digest Awards for her role as Hayley Vaughan on All My Children. She also received three Daytime Emmy Award nominations for this role.
• Kelly co-hosted the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade from 2001 to 2009. She won an Emmy Award for this in 2006.
• She and Regis Philbin won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host twice for Live! with Regis and Kelly. They were also nominated many other times.
• Later, she and Michael Strahan won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host in 2015 and 2016 for Live! with Kelly and Michael.
• In 2019, she won her sixth Daytime Emmy Award with Ryan Seacrest for Live with Kelly and Ryan.
• In 2024, she won her seventh Daytime Emmy Award with Mark Consuelos for Live with Kelly and Mark.
• On November 19, 2010, Kelly was honored by the Broadcast Pioneers for her success in television.
• On October 12, 2015, Kelly Ripa received a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Kelly has also tried to break Guinness World Records on Live!.

• In 2006, 24 banana-cream pies were tossed at her mouth in one minute.
• In 2011, she tried to break the record for most grapes stomped in one minute. She extracted 8.4 liters of juice, but another person extracted 8.6 liters, so she didn't get the record.

In 2008, a rock band called Cowboy Mouth wrote a song about her called "Kelly Ripa." They even performed it on Live!. In 2017, Kelly was added to the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

Kelly Ripa's Personal Life

In 1995, Kelly Ripa met Mark Consuelos while they were both acting on All My Children. They got married on May 1, 1996. Kelly and Mark have three children: Michael Joseph (born in 1997), Lola Grace (born in 2001), and Joaquin Antonio (born in 2003).

In 2011, Kelly shared that she has misophonia. This means certain sounds can bother her a lot.

Kelly Ripa's Filmography

See also