What We Know About Kelly Ripa And Mark Consuelos' Relationship
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Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are certainly one of Hollywood's most powerful couples. They met on the set of the soap opera "All My Children" all the way back in 1995, and unlike many celebrities' relationships, have been together ever since. However, that's not to say that their marriage has always been easy. "We argue, but we have an allegiance to each other," Ripa told Redbook. Even amidst many divorce rumors — just like any other big names, they stir up the attention of tabloids all the time — Ripa and Consuelos are in their relationship for the long run.
Funny enough, many people didn't even know these two soap stars were dating until long after they got married (via "Live with Kelly and Ryan"). Fast forward to 2020, and Ripa and Consuelos have been together for 24 years. They're still that adorable young couple that fell in love for the first time. "Can you believe we've been doing this for 20 years?" Ripa told AOL. "Because it goes fast."
From their elopement to the reason why they didn't initially want to host a talk show together, this is the truth about Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' relationship.
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos fell in love at first sight
As co-stars on the soap opera "All My Children," Kelly Ripa — who's undergone a stunning transformation — and Mark Consuelos knew they were meant to be from the very beginning. In fact, Ripa realized he was the one before she'd even met him. "I saw my husband in a photograph before I saw him," she admitted on Radio Andy. "And I knew when I saw him. I knew when I saw his photograph." Their casting director on the popular soap opera had been searching for Ripa's love interest for quite some time, so when she showed her his headshot, she knew they'd have chemistry — both on and off screen.
Ripa was tasked to work alongside Consuelos for his screen test, and he was immediately attracted to her too. However, "I didn't really think I had a chance with her," he told HuffPost, but it seems obvious to say that they really were meant to be. Ripa even remembers her entire future flashing before her eyes the first time she saw him. "And I don't believe in any of that," she admitted. "But now I do."
They broke up the day before they got married
Fans of "All My Children" could clearly see that Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' had chemistry on screen — and off screen — but it turns out that their relationship was off and on, too. In 1995, they were asked to appear on "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" to surprise fans for the Mom's Dream Come True Special. However, something was certainly up, because the two wouldn't talk to each other. "We actually had an argument, Kelly and I, and hadn't spoken for a few days," Consuelos later explained on the show. "It was ridiculous."
However, as soon as the stars heard the mother's story, they realized their argument was meaningless compared to what this woman had gone through — which is the real reason Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos got back together. That night, they had pizza and wine at Consuelos' apartment. "And I asked her to marry me," he remembered.
Ripa was somewhat surprised by the situation. "I said to him, 'Ask me when you're serious,'" she explained. "And he said, 'I am serious.'" They made it official the very next day.
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos eloped in Las Vegas on a whim
For being celebrities, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos didn't have much time to plan a big, extravagant wedding. The reason? The day they decided to get married was only one day before they tied the knot, as the pair got hitched on a whim.
It all started the moment Consuelos proposed in his apartment during their pizza night. He was excited to make it official — and fast. "Let's go to Vegas tomorrow and get married," Ripa explained on her talk show. "We're not working. We have the day off. Let's do it." Luckily, she said yes.
In 1996, a limo picked them up, and Ripa and Consuelos wed in a little chapel in Las Vegas. Ripa carried plastic flowers and wore a white dress she'd bought five years beforehand from a Barney's warehouse sale. "And guess what? It still fits!" Ripa admitted in 2006. So for their 20th anniversary, she put it back on and posed for a celebratory photo with her hubby. We would too, as Kelly Ripa stays so fit!
The couple honeymooned in Italy ... and are still banned from the hotel they stayed in
While Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' wedding may not have been as big as many fans would have assumed, they did decide to go big for their honeymoon. The pair's romantic getaway was anybody's dream — a sweet, weeklong stay in Capri, Italy. "Seems like yesterday to me," Consuelos revealed on Instagram, alongside a throwback photo.
Though Ripa and Consuelos haven't shared much more information than that, it's clear that they had a good time on their honeymoon. To this day, they're apparently still banned from the hotel they stayed in, though they haven't shared why. "It was worth it," he added.
Even though this cute couple hasn't had the pleasure of returning to their honeymoon hotel, they've visited Italy a few times since. Now, they bring their kids along to show them around the country that Consuelos grew up in. In fact, they even visited his childhood home during their trip there in 2019. "It was just very emotional to go back," Ripa shared on her talk show.
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos didn't exchange rings until their 10th anniversary
Considering they had such a quick wedding, it should come as no surprise that Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos didn't have any rings to exchange at the altar. Simply being together was more important to this celebrity couple than showing off expensive bling, one of the valuable lessons we're learned from Kelly Ripa's marriage.
It wasn't until 10 years into their marriage that Consuelos finally put a ring on it. "It must have been making him feel a certain way that I didn't have a ring," Ripa admitted on the podcast Unqualified (via The Oprah Magazine). "So for our 10th anniversary we bought me a ring." It's gorgeous, too!
The symbolic circular diamond is one that Ripa rocks — pun intended — daily on her morning talk show now. In fact, it's the most important thing she owns, she admits. "I'm sure my kids will drag it from my dead body, but I will never part with it because it's so special," she told Elle. It was the perfect gift for the pair to commemorate a decade together.
They are business partners
Though Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' last episode of "All My Children" aired in 2010, the two still like to work together. "We're superpartners in crime, my wife and I," Consuelos told Elle – and they're super successful too. In 2007, Ripa and Consuelos officially became business partners and started up their own production company to tell more stories together.
Milojo Productions, named after the first two letters of each of their kids' names, creates all sorts of content that ranges from Emmy-nominated documentaries to digital content you can stream from your sofa. Funny enough, they've even produced a reality series that is strikingly similar to their soap opera days called "Dirty Soap." "The goal is to eventually get off camera, some day," Ripa told E! News. "Because as you can see, we are not gorgeous like soap stars are." We couldn't disagree more!
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos have lived miles apart
Mark Consuelos had a four-season run on the show "Riverdale," which meant he spent a lot of time in Canada, while Kelly Ripa spends each morning in New York City starring on "Live with Kelly and Ryan" — so unfortunately, they have spent a lot of time apart.
For many married people, living thousands of miles away from their spouse on a regular basis isn't exactly a romantic idea. Surprisingly, this celebrity couple has always had a life like that. "We're actors," Ripa explained to People. "We've done it for years. It's not hard. It's actually something we're quite good at."
Truthfully, independence is what Ripa says is her best quality as a wife. "He doesn't need to take me everywhere or do everything with me," she told Good Housekeeping. If Consuelos' wants a guys' night, he gets it. It's the same for Ripa and her gal pals. However, this isn't to say they never miss each other. "You know what I found out," Consuelos confessed on her show (via The Oprah Magazine). "Being away from home so much, I don't really sleep very well when I'm not with you." Aww!
Mark Consuelos almost became Kelly Ripa's co-host on Live back in 2016
In 2016, Kelly Ripa was searching for a new co-host on "Live." After having her husband appear multiple times alongside her, it seemed to make sense to have him star on the show too. After all, their onscreen chemistry is the real deal. "No one would make me happier than Mark," she told Vanity Fair of her search for a co-host.
However, even though they have worked together many times before, Ripa and Consuelos didn't think it would be best to be co-hosts on "Live" at that time. After all, viewers often saw Ripa divulging personal (and sometimes even embarrassing) stories about her family on air. "He values our marriage and he says that he doesn't see how we could stay married and both do that show," Ripa once admitted.
A year later, Ripa found her new co-host, Ryan Seacrest, whom she came to refer to as her "other husband" (via Instagram).
Kelly Ripa starred alongside her husband on another popular TV show
Though "All My Children" ended years ago, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos have occasionally found themselves acting on screen together again. Notably, in 2019, Ripa appeared in an episode of Consuelos' television series "Riverdale" — as his character's mistress. "23 years of auditioning for a role I was born to play," she joked on Instagram.
Ripa revealed to Vanity Fair that when her husband initially asked her to take the risqué role, she thought it was hilarious. However, the director really wanted her, so Ripa felt as if she couldn't refuse. "It thrilled me to no end to play my husband's mistress," she later admitted to Entertainment Weekly.
Consuelos was proud to see Ripa on the small screen again, especially alongside him. "I was like a stage dad," he shared. Plus, having Ripa in Canada meant more time together for the otherwise busy couple. And even though we haven't seen his mistress appear in an episode since, "It's definitely not a closed thing," Consuelos told Vanity Fair. "I think there's definitely opportunity for [her] to come back." We would love to see that!
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos do get jealous
While Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos seem to have a picture-perfect marriage, it still takes work. With Consuelos traveling around the world for his acting career and Ripa sitting side-by-side with another man every morning on our televisions, jealousy does happen.
There's one story, in particular, that Consuelos shared in the book "What Makes a Marriage Last," where his jealousy may have gotten the best of him. It was shortly after they tied the knot, and he was away working on the east coast. "I couldn't get a hold of her all day," he said. "We didn't have cell phones then." He added that he "got a really bad feeling," so he decided to call her up and ask what she was up to.
The young Ripa said she was home cleaning toilets. "Apparently he thought that sounded very fishy," she admitted, so her husband secretly flew home to try and catch her cheating. "I have a johnny mop in one hand, and I'm wearing a bathrobe," Ripa explained embarrassingly, and that was when their trust seemed to be officially established. "I'm less jealous these days," Consuelos admitted (via People).
They make time to have date nights
As busy business people, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are away from each other quite often. So when they're together, they definitely make the most of it. In fact, regularly scheduling date nights is one of the ways they've successfully stayed together for decades.
However, it wasn't always that way, as Ripa admits that she used to not even have time for herself. "It was work and kids and work and kids and more work and more kids, and I nearly got lost in the shuffle," she told Redbook. So when her husband told her to take some time to herself, Ripa found that she was a better wife and mother.
The secret to a successful marriage is all about carving out time as a couple. It doesn't have to be fancy either. "A date night for us is watching Top Chef," Ripa admitted. After all, an expensive dinner isn't what date night is all about. "It's really just about checking in, asking how the other person's day is, and cuddling up," she added.
They have three kids (but wish they had four)
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos have come a long way, as these two stars have since made themselves a family of five. Kelly Ripa's kids truly are their everything, but there's still always been something missing. "I am regretful that we didn't have one more," Ripa admitted on her show.
There are many reasons that Ripa wishes she had a fourth child — aside from the fact that babies are just absolutely adorable. Rather, she says a fourth child would have evened out their family. "You always have two against one," she explained. "It is just the way it is. It's unavoidable."
It seems as though Ripa and Consuelos' kids wanted another sibling too, because they asked about one all the time growing up. However, with all of them being grown up, Ripa admits that it wouldn't be fair at this point to bring another baby along; she also thinks it's way too late. "They start giving you the 'advanced maternal age' warning at 35," she told Good Housekeeping back in 2012. "So it scares me."
A funny story explains why Kelly Ripa is always calling her husband 'daddy'
With her constant use of the hashtag "daddy" on Instagram, it's clear that Kelly Ripa is still very much attracted to Mark Consuelos. However, that's not exactly why she refers to him by that pet name.
It all started over a decade ago, when Consuelos was away filming. The couple's good friend, celebrity Andy Cohen, happened to be over one evening with Ripa when Consuelos called to check in on his family. When Cohen answered, he asked him to make sure one of their doors was locked. "People always forget to lock this door," he explained to Esquire, and Cohen answered, "'Sure, OK, daddy.' And that's where it started, and it stuck."
Now, even fans refer to this famed actor as "daddy," and nearly all of Ripa's Instagram posts do too. "I'm all about a daddy," she told Good Housekeeping playfully. "I like a daddy."
After decades together, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are still very much in love
Many times, fans see celebrities breaking up left and right in the spotlight. Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, however, have stood the test of time. "Relationships evolve," she told the podcast "Unqualified." "We're just lucky enough that we evolved together."
That isn't to say that Ripa and Consuelos' commitment to one another has always been easy. In fact, the first year they were married, they had little arguments all the time. "Then we looked at each other one day and said, 'We're in this for the long haul, so let's make it fun,'" Ripa told Redbook. Just like the successful business team that they are, "you work on your marriage the same way you work at your job," she added.
Lucky for Ripa, many of their family moments have been captured on "Live" throughout the time she's been starring on the show. Looking back, they both consider themselves lucky to have found their soulmates so early on in life. "We've really built a life together," Ripa told her studio audience.
Mark Consuelos supported Kelly during the drama with Michael Strahan
When Kelly Ripa's co-host Michael Strahan left the talk show to focus on his role at "Good Morning America," a public fallout ensued. Ripa previously revealed that she'd felt blindsided by Strahan's decision as she got to know the decision only along with the other media outlets.
Talking to Variety about the drama years later, she said, "I don't think there was an on-air woman that I didn't hear from. ... You'd be amazed how many people don't feel seen or heard at all. I didn't kick up a fuss; it wasn't a big thing; I was just like, I'm not doing this. If I'm not worthy of a discussion, if I'm not worthy of you running this conversation by me — it was outrageous."
When speaking with People back in 2016, Ripa shared insights on how her husband Mark Consuelos supported her through the drama. "Mark is such a smart guy and is always in the face of business very dispassionate," she said. "He looks at it like a business decision, and he says to me, 'There's nobody better at this than you,' spoken like a supportive spouse."
Kelly Ripa believes her husband has a 'superpower'
In 2020, while talking to ET Canada on turning 50, Kelly Ripa explained, "[Mark and I] been together a long time, but all Mark has to do is look at me [and I] feel so special, so pretty and so young. It's probably his superpower." She continued, saying that Mark knows "how to treat his spouse like the only person in the world."
In the interview, Ripa had nothing but praise for her husband. "He's got the best smile I've ever seen, so when he smiles it's like the sun's shining on you," Ripa shared like a teenager in love. Ripa also revealed that Consuelos is an incredible father who was present in the kids' lives even when he was away at work filming "Riverdale" in Vancouver. "He's got this magic ability to be present and part of everything, so I feel very fortunate," she said. "I'm very lucky!"
Their relationship is 'old-fashioned' and 'traditional'
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos have been married for more than 25 years and have shared various aspects of their marriage. In a 2021 appearance on the "Double Date" podcast, they said they consider themselves to be "almost old-fashioned." She explained further, saying, "What's funny is I think of us as such a progressive as a couple. I always think of us as politically progressive ... we're progressive people," Ripa said. "And yet, when it comes to our own family and our marriage and our roles, I think of us as very traditional."
Ripa also revealed that since Consuelos has to travel extensively for work, the responsibility of being the more physically present parent was on her. "She makes the home a home," Mark said. Ripa also recognized that being the parent away from home was not an easy task for Mark. "I've been able to raise my kids here in this city, in the nest, and he's always been willing to travel and go to a set and go off here and sometimes he's had to go live in another country to work on a set over there," she said. "Traveling is hard and being away from home is hard and sometimes he would miss milestones for the kids, and I know that was hard for him."
They co-own a soccer team
In November 2022, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos became minority stakeholders of Campobasso 1919, a soccer club based in Molise, Italy. Consuelos revealed in an interview that he and Ripa had "[fallen] in love with the Campobasso project and the story." He added, "We literally built everything from scratch, working with Matt [Rizzetta] and the North Sixth team to assemble a roster, coaching staff, kits, basically building everything in the span of 72 hours so this city would be able to hold onto its beloved football club and dream big once again."
Matt Rizzetta, the majority owner of the club, confirmed that the couple contributes to about a quarter of the operating budget of the club, which is estimated at $10 million. The couple's primary focus is on increasing the universal visibility of the club. "In terms of Mark and Kelly," Rizzetta said, "our strategy is very much concentrated on exporting this club, this brand to the international market."
They're empty nesters
Since late August 2021, when Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' youngest son Joaquin went off to college, the couple have been empty nesters. While Joaquin was off pursuing his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan, Ria took to Instagram to share a photo of her and Consuelos relaxing on the couch. "So far we are crushing this empty nest thing," she captioned the picture.
Ripa isn't necessarily longing to go back to the days when they were little. "Do I miss having them as babies?" Ripa mused in an interview with ET Canada. "Of course. But I have so many friends with babies now, so I get to relive that through them," she said. "And, just because somebody grows and moves out, it doesn't mean they're not still your child and you're not still connected or close." Ripa said that her and Consuelos' children do visit fairly often. "Especially when they need something," she joked.
A remarriage would be out of the question for Mark Consuelos, according to the couple's daughter
In a February 2023 episode of "Live with Kelly and Ryan," Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos discussed what life would be like without each other. "If something happened to Mark, [our kids] would expect me to also die. You know what I mean?" she told the audience. "The idea of him picking up a life and carrying on would be very out of the question."
Ripa recalled a conversation she had with the couple's eldest child, Lola, that confirmed the kids' views on a potential stepmom situation. "Lola, I remember one day, one of her friend's parents got divorced and the father had gotten remarried," Kelly recalled. "And Lola was like, 'Oh my gosh, can you imagine?'" Ripa explained to her daughter that that scenario isn't necessarily uncommon. "And she was like, 'If you and dad ever got divorced and he tried to get remarried, I would make his life a living hell,'" Ripa recalled.
Mark Consuelos was announced as Kelly Ripa's permanent co-host on Live
In a late February 2023 episode of "Live with Kelly and Ryan," Ryan Seacrest announced his departure from the show after being Kelly Ripa's co-host for six seasons. After sharing the news, Ripa revealed that her husband will be joining her for the upcoming seasons of the talk show, which will, of course, have a title change — "Live with Kelly and Mark."
Mark Consuelos also joined Ripa and Seacrest during an episode of "Live" and discussed his new role. "I get to share a coffee with you every morning before the show and now I'll have one with you on the show as well," he told his spouse.
The episode was entirely heartwarming, with the three sharing insights about their personal dynamics outside the talk show. "I do want to say you are a brother to me. You are a family member to me. I have become so close with both of you," Seacrest confessed to Consuelos. "I couldn't be happier to see you come in and be next to your wife every day," he added.