Kelly Ripa

Who Is Kelly Ripa?

Kelly Ripa is an American actress and talk show host. She is known for her bright smile and lively personality. People see her on TV every morning and enjoy her jokes. She brings fun and warmth to the screen.

Fans love her for her friendly style and her skill at making guests feel at ease. She has become a familiar face in many homes.

Early Life and Background

Kelly Ripa was born on October 2 1970.

Career and Claim to Fame

Kelly Ripa began her career as an actress. She later became the co host of the syndicated morning talk show Live! with Kelly and Mark. The show started in 2001 and has stayed on air for many years. She has worked with co hosts such as Regis Philbin Michael Strahan Ryan Seacrest and Mark Consuelos. Her work on the show made her a well known television personality.

Her official website is en.wikipedia.org slash wiki slash KellyRipa.

Birthday Age and Zodiac

Kelly Ripa was born on October 2 1970. She is 55 years old. Her zodiac sign is Libra.

Libra people are known for being balanced and fair. They like harmony and often try to keep peace. They are social and enjoy good conversation. They appreciate beauty and often have a good sense of style.

Fun Facts and Legacy

Kelly Ripa is an actress and talk show host born on October 2 1970. She is 55 years old and a Libra. She has been the co host of Live! with Kelly and Mark since 2001 and has worked with many co hosts. Her website can be found at en.wikipedia.org slash wiki slash KellyRipa. Her warm smile and friendly style keep viewers smiling.

Kelly Ripa - Quick Facts

Profile Overview of Kelly Ripa

Kelly Maria Ripa (born October 2, 1970) is an American actress and talk show host. Since 2001, she has been the co-host of the syndicated morning talk show Live! With Kelly and Mark in various formats. Her co-hosts have included Regis Philbin, Michael Strahan, Ryan Seacrest, and her husband Mark Consuelos.

This profile of Kelly Ripa covers Early Life and Family Background, Dancin' on Air, Dance Party USA and All My Children, Live!, Hope & Faith and Film.

As an actress, Ripa's best known roles include Hayley Vaughan on the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children (1990–2002, 2010) and Faith Fairfield on the ABC sitcom Hope & Faith (2003–2006). Ripa and her husband, Mark Consuelos, own a New York–based production company, Milojo. In 2014, The Hollywood Reporter named her one of the Most Powerful People in Media.

Early Life and Family Background of Kelly Ripa

Kelly Maria Ripa was born in Stratford, New Jersey to Esther, a homemaker, and Joseph Ripa, a labor union president (Amalgamated Transit Union Local 880) and bus driver who attended Rutgers University. Her father, active in Democratic politics, served as the county clerk for Camden County from 2009 to 2024.

Ripa grew up Catholic. She has three-quarters Italian and one quarter Irish ancestry.

Ripa graduated from Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees Township, New Jersey. During high school she was a cheerleader and was encouraged by her drama teacher to pursue acting. "I owe so much of my career to Jim Boeckle," she said. "He thought I was a natural performer and so he gave me the lead in the next show." She starred in local theater productions and was discovered while performing in The Ugly Duckling during her senior year. She attended Camden County College in Blackwood, New Jersey studying psychology, but dropped out and moved to New York City to pursue an acting career.

Dancin' on Air, Dance Party USA and All My Children of Kelly Ripa

Aside from local TV gigs, Ripa's first national television exposure came in 1986 when she appeared as a regular dancer on Dancin' On Air, leading into Dance Party USA. Her career goal at the time was to be a newscaster and she often did the cast news reports.

Ripa was cast in her first major acting role in 1990 as Hayley Vaughan, a troubled party girl, on All My Children. She concluded her 12-year role in 2002, but returned for two episodes in 2010 to help celebrate the soap opera's 40th anniversary.

Live!

After co-host Kathie Lee Gifford's final show on Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee, Regis Philbin began holding on-air auditions to find her replacement. In his autobiography, How I Got This Way, Philbin says of discovering Ripa:

On the day of Ripa's initial Live! With Regis tryout (November 1, 2000), psychic Char Margolis was among the guests. During this segment, Margolis guessed that Ripa was pregnant with her second child. Ripa replied, "I haven't told my boss yet!" Philbin later said that Ripa was first among the potential candidates including Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Krakowski, Dolly Parton, and Bernadette Peters: "t could only be Kelly. We knew that from her memorable debut onward." Ripa was announced as the official replacement on February 5, 2001. Within months, the renamed Live! With Regis and Kelly's young-audience demographics increased by 80 percent with Ripa credited for bringing "a new life to the show."

The chemistry between Philbin and Ripa (or "Pippa" as he nicknamed her), their banter, interviews, and conversations about their families, personal lives, and New York City attracted a successful, strong, and loyal viewership averaging 6 million viewers daily. In January 2011, Philbin, 80, announced that he would be retiring from Live! At the end of the year. His final show aired Friday, November 18, 2011, during which Ripa tearfully reminisced about her first day, the 43 steps they walked together from her dressing room onto set each day for 11 years, and how those 43 steps changed her life. "Thank you for everything! It's been just great, my Pippa," Philbin told her in an embrace. Ripa responded, "Thank you for everything. I love you." "I love you, too," said Philbin.

Ripa replaced Philbin as the head of the show and returned the following Monday, November 21, 2011, to continue the show, which was re-titled Live! With Kelly. In a process similar to the one in which she was selected to replace Gifford, a rotating lineup of co-hosts auditioned on-air with Ripa to take over her former co-hosting duties. In the end, Strahan was announced as the new co-host, and Live! With Kelly and Michael premiered September 4, 2012.

Live! Won its first Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show on June 23, 2012.

On May 16, 2016, the show's name was changed to Live! With Kelly again after Strahan's last show before his move to Good Morning America. Another round of guest co-hosts ensued. On May 1, 2017, the show became Live with Kelly and Ryan, after Ryan Seacrest took over as Strahan's permanent replacement.

On February 16, 2023, Seacrest announced that he would be leaving Live with Kelly and Ryan after six years in April 2023, primarily due to traveling as his primary residence is in Los Angeles, while the show tapes in New York City. Mark Consuelos, Kelly Ripa's husband, replaced him. But Seacrest has stated that he will return to guest host whenever Consuelos is unavailable, meaning he is not permanently leaving the show.

Hope & Faith

Ripa ventured into primetime in September 2003 on Hope & Faith, playing Faith Fairfield, an unemployed ex-soap star. The half-hour sitcom, co-starring Faith Ford, Ted McGinley, and Megan Fox, gave ABC its best Friday premiere score since 1996. The show ended in May 2006 with Ripa declaring she "never wanted to work that hard again."

Film

Best known for her television work, Ripa also has several feature films to her credit. She appeared in the acclaimed Miramax feature Marvin's Room in 1996, alongside Meryl Streep and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Other ventures

In 2007, Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos founded Milojo, the production company, named for their children Michael, Lola, and Joaquin. It began with the feature documentary The Streak, which told the story of the Brandon High School wrestling team and its 34-year winning streak. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2008. Also, Milojo launched a first look development deal with Discovery Channel for non-scripted series' including Homemade Millionaire, hosted by Ripa, and the docu-series Masters of Reception. Their next film, Off the Rez, was also accepted to the Tribeca Film Festival and premiered on TLC in May 2011. In 2012, the company premiered its first short film, a collaboration with Will Ferrell's Funny or Die entitled "The Bensonhurst Spelling Bee" featuring Ripa, Consuelos, and their son, Michael. The video has had over 1,000,000 views. In 2021, Ripa and Consuelos served as co-executive producers of the Oxygen series Exhumed, which debuted on January 17.

Awards and Honours

In 1999, she won the Best Actress Award at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival for her work in The Stand-In.

Source: adapted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Ripa), text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.