It’s not difficult to see why Kelly Ripa has spent the last 25 years as host of “Live.” A natural blend of wit, enthusiasm and inquisitiveness was evident from her first appearance as a guest host alongside Regis Philbin in 2000. It was evident then — and now, as Ripa immediately begins asking the questions during our discussion — that that’s who she is.
“I don’t care if it’s the flight attendant on the plane or the person that I just met standing in line at Starbucks,” she says. “I want to know the origin story of the person.”
Ripa’s origin story with “Live” begins in 2000, when Philbin’s co-host of 15 years, Kathie Lee Gifford, departed. There was a slew of people — Gloria Estefan, Rosie O’Donnell, Lisa Rinna and Whoopi Goldberg, to name a few — in the rotation as guest hosts in the following months. Ripa wasn’t one of them.
Ripa had been playing the scrappy Hayley Vaughan on ABC’s “All My Children” for a decade and, unbeknownst to virtually everyone, she was expecting her second child with husband Mark Consuelos.
But while she wasn’t looking for the hosting gig, she filled in one day, and it was clear she was the front-runner for the spot from her first appearance.
Three months later, the show was rebranded “Live With Regis and Kelly.” She’d sit next to Philbin for the next 10 years until he left the show in 2011. Michael Strahan and Ryan Seacrest occupied the chair next to Ripa in the years that followed. Then, in 2023, the perfect partner came along — Ripa’s real-life one.
This time, there were no co-host auditions. Consuelos, who had regularly filled in on the show over the years, was made the permanent co-host on April 17, 2023.
Now, Ripa looks back at her start on “Live” — and her future. She even turned to Oprah Winfrey, who left her daytime show in 2011 after 25 years, for advice.
What do you remember of your first time guest hosting?
My first day was the day after Halloween. The only reason that sticks out in my head is because Mark and I knew we were pregnant. We hadn’t told anyone. They tell you at the show, “Come with something to talk about for the host chat.” I was like, “I have a lot to talk about because I just took a 3-year-old trick-or-treating.” There was a psychic on the show, Char Margolis, that we were going to be interviewing. She came out and told the world I was pregnant.
You were on “All My Children” for 11 years when Kathie Lee Gifford decided to leave. Did someone come to you and say you should try out?
I knew I was pregnant with our second child and working on a soap opera is an extraordinarily demanding schedule. I was like, “I don’t think I can do this with two kids. It’s not fair to me, and it’s not fair to the kids.” My contract at “All My Children” had a year and a half left and I decided at that point that I would just stop working and raise my kids. I wasn’t paying attention at all to the Kathie Lee of it all — I certainly wasn’t looking for that job.
But you were convinced?
I think part of the reason I was attractive in any way is because I was the one person not pushing to get an audition for that show. My boss at the time was Angela Shapiro. She said, “I think you should fill in for Kathie Lee.” And I was like, “Angela, I’m exhausted.” What I didn’t tell her was, “I’m pregnant and I’m exhausted.” Then she said, “We had somebody cancel.” I did it, I had fun, but it was not on my radar at all to do that show. I guess there was an audience response to me. I really never thought about it again and then I got a call right away to come back and do it again. The rest was history. I think, by December, they were already negotiating my contract. It was very fast. I think I had hosted three times and then they signed me to a contract.
Did your nerves immediately kick in?
When there’s something at stake, a far greater pressure is on you when you are a co-host versus when you’re just a fill-in person. I felt terrified.
When did that go away?
Maybe the eighth year? It took me a while to not feel terrified. It really took a long time to get comfortable. What surprised me about Mark is how comfortable and good at it he was immediately. Where it took me eight years to become comfortable, it took him maybe eight days!
When did you realize that this was going to be something you’d be doing for a long time?
When I tell you I never knew it was going to be a long-term thing — I’m still on the fence about it being a long-term thing! The fact that we are celebrating my 25th anniversary does not seem real to me.
In the early days of “Live,” you were still on “All My Children,” then did three years of “Hope & Faith.” Right now, you have this and your podcast — on top of home responsibilities. How would you describe your work ethic?
I’m always busy. I always work. I feel like I burned out for a while because I was offered a lot of things after the sitcom that I turned down outright. They were big things. I was like, “Wait, why did I take this talk show in the beginning?” Because it allowed me the opportunity to be a present parent while still earning a living at the end of the day. So, I went back to that.
You interview so many people. Who is the last person that made you nervous?
They all get me excited. The reason I’ve been able to maintain longevity in this job is because I assume the role of the person at home that is excited. I’ve always been curious about people. And I don’t care if it’s the flight attendant on the plane or the person that I just met in line at Starbucks. I want to know the origin story of the person — no matter who it is. If Madonna comes on, I’m up at night planning how I can try to look cool in front of her. I guess that’s the exception.
How much longer do you want to keep hosting the show?
Let me give Oprah credit. She left her show at the 25-year mark, and I said to her, “Should this be my signal?” She’s like, “Don’t leave. Don’t do it. Right now, you’ll regret it.” She said, “With you and Mark, the dynamic, the show is more important than ever. People really relate to it, and they need that in this world of a lot of darkness and an endless 24-hour, never-ending news cycle.” I need to actually ask her, “You said not to leave at 25, but what year? What are we thinking? Give me an idea of how far beyond 25 I should go.” But I always say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We are really having a very good time.
So, no end date in sight?
I want to see this show stay on the air as long as linear TV lives. The show is far more important than any two hosts, so I just want the show to live forever because it’s a really, really great piece of history. It’s also a great way for people to have worry-free TV that they can watch with their kids.
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