Kelly Maria Ripa is a famous American television actress who is also a dancer and a talk show host. Ripa is also a television producer and the owner of the production company ‘Milojo’ based in New York. Although Ripa began her career in 1986, appearing as a dancer on ‘Dance Party USA’, she came to prominence in 1990 after portraying the role of ‘Hayley Vaughan’ on ‘All My Children’, a day-time soap opera on the ABC network that ran from 1990-2002, and won her a Soap Opera Digest Award in the category Outstanding Younger Lead Actress.
Ripa who also played a parallel lead in the ABC sit-com ‘Hope and Faith’ is best known being the co-host of Live! with Kelly and Ryan, (alongside Ryan Seacrest), a syndicated morning talk show that has been airing on WABC-TV since 2001 in various formats. The show has been nominated for 6 daytime Emmy Awards, winning 5 of them. Ripa was named by The Hollywood Reporter and one of the Most Powerful Media Persons in 2014.
Early Life and Education
Ripa was born on 2 October 1970 in Stratford, New Jersey to her parents, homemaker Esther Rips and bus-driver and labor union president Joseph Ripa, who is now a Democratic County Clerk for New jersey’s Camden County. Ripa has one sibling, a sister named Linda who is a famous children’s book author. Ripa was raised as a Roman Catholic and has one quarter Irish and three-quarter Italian ancestry. Ripa also learned ballet and can play the paino.
Ripa attended and graduated from the Eastern Regional High School, Voorhees Township, New Jersey where she was a cheerleader, where she was encouraged to pursue a career in acting after appearing in a local production of ‘The Ugly Duckling’. She later enrolled into Camden County College to pursue psychology but decided to drop out and move to New York City to pursue acting professionally.
Career Rise
Ripa made her first national television appearance in 1986 with ‘Dancin’ On Air’ as a regular dancer and then lead ‘Dance Party USA’. She received her first acting role in 1990 on the soap-opera ‘All My Children’ in which she portrayed a troubled party girl named Hayley Vaughan, appearing on the show for 12 years from 1990-2002. Ripa auditioned to be a replacement for Kathie Lee Grifford to host Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee and was announced as Regis Philbin’s co-host in February 2001. The show renamed ‘Live! with Regis and Kelly’, drew in a younger audience and Ripa was credited for giving the show “a new life”. Together the duo was nicknamed “Pippa” and the Ripa became the lead-host of the show upon Philbin’s retirement in November 2011, and Michael Stratham became Philbin’s replacement. The show renamed ‘Live! with Kelly and Michael’ premiered in September 2012. Since May 2017, Ripa has been co-hosting the show, now known as ‘Live! with Kelly and Ryan’ along with Ryan Seacrest.
Ripa appeared in the ABC sitcom ‘Hope and Faith’ in which she portrayed an unemployed ex-soap star named Faith Fairfield. The show lasted from 2003-2006. Ripa also made appearances on shows like ‘Ugly Betty’, ‘Damages’, ‘Brothers & Sisters’, ’30 Rock’, and even hosted an episode of ‘Saturday Night Live’.
Kelly Ripa – Husband
The petite 1.6 meter tall Ripa met actor Mark Consuelos in 1995 after he was made her co-star on the show ‘All My Children’ and soon started dating him. Ripa married him in May 1996, after eloping with him. Together, they have three children; sons Michael Joseph Consuelos and Joaquin Antonio Consuelos born in 1997 and 2003 respectively and a daughter named Lola Grace born in 2001.
More Laurels along the way
In 2010, Ripa was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame for being successful in the television industry. She received her star on ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015 and in 2017, was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
Kelly Ripa – Salary and Net Worth
Ripa draws an annual salary of $20 Million and has an estimated net worth of approximately $75 Million.
