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Kelly Ripa: 5 Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About the ‘Live! With Kelly and Mark’ Cohost

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Updated on: Apr 26, 2024 1:00 pm·

By Whitney Danhauer

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Kelly Ripa’s first TV appearance was in the soap opera All My Children in 1990, but since then the New Jersey native has become one of the most popular daytime talk show hosts on air. The Live! star exclusively opened up to Closer about her marriage, early days on the show and much more.

1 of 5

My First Office at ‘Live!’ Was a Broom Closet

“It was after my fourth year [on the show] that they finally cleaned out the closet and put a desk in there for me,” says Kelly, who joined Live! in 2001. “And so I was working in the janitor’s closet with a desk so that I could have a place to put things.” After her cohost Regis Philbin retired in 2011, she took matters into her own hands and “just moved my things. I forced my way into [his old] office.”

2 of 5

I’m a Caffeine Junkie!

“I make a ‘bullet coffee’ at home in the morning — it’s coffee, two shots of espresso and a tablespoon of ghee and then a packet of collagen powder. Then I blend it all together and have this frosty thick beverage,” says Kelly, 53. “I have a Starbucks latte when I get to Live!. Then I will have a half a coffee after the show wraps.”

3 of 5

Mark and I Have a Perfect Work-Life Balance

Kelly’s husband, actor Mark Consuelos, became her cohost on Live! last April, but after the show wraps, “we go about our days,” Kelly says. “He’s got a different facet of the industry he’s in. I go to my podcast. We have totally separate lives off camera, and then we meet up again at night and it’s perfect.”

4 of 5

I’d Like Some Time Off

She has no plans to retire from Live! anytime soon, but when she does, Kelly wants a real break. “I’ve never had a year off in my life. The most I’ve had off is a month, and that’s usually been for maternity leave.”

5 of 5

I Dropped Out of College

“My parents were adamant about college, so I took a few courses and then would audition for everything,” says Kelly, who got her big break on TV’s All My Children. And, she jokes, “My father is still waiting for me to go to college!”