Kelly Ripa has gone through such a change over the course of her amazing career! We’re taking a look back at her transformation from ‘All My Children’ actress to ‘Live’ co-host!
Kelly Ripa has had a decades-long career on the small screen and over the years has amassed such a loyal fanbase and maintained her title as one of America’s sweethearts. Before she was waking viewers up Monday-Friday on Live With Kelly & Ryan, Kelly was a burgeoning soap star on the long-running series All My Children. Today, we’re taking a look back at how Kelly rose to fame and became one of our favorite daytime hosts!
It all started in 1990 when Kelly made her debut as Hayley Vaughan on All My Children. Kelly was only 20 years old when she landed the role, earning three Daytime Emmy awards for her performance. While appearing on the series, Kelly met the love of her life, Mark Consuelos, who played Mateo Santos on the soap opera. The pair met while filming in 1995 and eloped on May 1, 1996. While the couple’s real life wedding was private, the two got to share their wedding with the country when their characters on All My Children got hitched! Kelly and Mark share three children together — Michael Joseph, 22, Lola Grace, 18, and Joaquin Antonio, 17.
Following her final appearance on the soap opera in 2001, Kelly was ready for a new role in daytime TV. She auditioned to be Regis Philbin‘s co-host on the popular daytime show Live and was officially announced as his new partner on the morning show on February 5, 2001. After Regis’s exit in 2011, Kelly was made the main host of the show before going through a rotation of potential co-hosts. Michael Strahan earned the coveted seat next to Kelly before moving on to Good Morning America. After his departure, Kelly was joined by Ryan Seacrest and the two have been hosting the show — Live With Kelly & Ryan — since May 2017.
So much excitement has taken place over the course of Kelly Ripa’s career. We truly cannot wait to see where her professional life takes her next, as she continues to comfort so many viewers doing Live from the safety of her home. To see her transformation over the years in photos, check out the gallery above!