Is Kelly Ripa Married?

The Short Answer: Is Kelly Ripa Married?

Yes, Kelly Ripa is married. She has been married to actor Mark Consuelos since May 1, 1996. In May 2026, the couple celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary, a remarkable milestone in an industry not known for lasting marriages.

Ripa, born October 2, 1970, in Stratford, New Jersey, is best known as the co-host of Live with Kelly and Mark (formerly Live with Kelly and Ryan and Live with Regis and Kelly), a role she has held since 2001. Before that, she was a soap opera star on All My Children.

Their marriage is one of Hollywood's most admired: a partnership that survived eloping, raising three kids in the spotlight, and eventually working together every morning on live television.

Who Is Mark Consuelos?

Mark Consuelos, born March 30, 1971, in Zaragoza, Spain, is an American actor raised in Florida. He is best known for playing Mateo Santos on All My Children, the soap where he met his future wife, and more recently for roles in Riverdale as Hiram Lodge and in various film and television projects.

In 2023, Consuelos joined his wife as co-host of Live, replacing Ryan Seacrest. The move made them one of the only married couples hosting a daily national talk show together, and their on-air chemistry, equal parts bickering and affectionate, has been a hit with viewers.

Off camera, Consuelos is known as a devoted husband and father, a fitness enthusiast, and Ripa's biggest supporter. He has said the secret to their marriage is laughter and never going to bed angry.

Their Love Story: Eloping in Las Vegas

Ripa and Consuelos met in 1995 on the set of All My Children, where their characters were love interests. The chemistry was real: after dating for about a year, they eloped to Las Vegas on May 1, 1996, marrying in a quick chapel ceremony.

Ripa has told the story many times: they flew to Vegas on a whim, got married, and then had to break the news to their families. Her father was reportedly less than thrilled about the elopement, but the marriage proved everyone wrong.

What began as a spontaneous Vegas wedding became one of entertainment's great love stories. They have said the impulsiveness of the elopement captured something essential about their relationship: decisive, romantic, and a little bit reckless.

30 Years: The 2026 Anniversary

In May 2026, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. Ripa marked the occasion on Live and on social media with tributes to her husband, reflecting on three decades of marriage, three kids, and a career built side by side.

The anniversary drew warm coverage across entertainment media, with outlets noting how rare a 30-year Hollywood marriage is. The couple celebrated privately and publicly, with Ripa joking on air about the secrets to surviving three decades with the same person.

Their longevity has made them role models for celebrity couples, proof that a marriage can thrive even under the klieg lights of morning television.

Their Three Children

The couple has three children. Michael Joseph Consuelos, born June 2, 1997, is the eldest at 29. He has followed his parents into acting, appearing in Riverdale as a younger version of his father's character, and works as a producer.

Lola Grace Consuelos, born June 16, 2001, is 25. A singer, she has released music and performed publicly, carving her own path in entertainment. Joaquin Antonio Consuelos, born February 24, 2003, is 23; a wrestler in high school and college, he has largely stayed out of show business.

Ripa has been open about the joys and chaos of raising three kids while hosting a daily show, and all three children have appeared on Live over the years. With the kids now adults, Ripa and Consuelos are enjoying a new chapter as empty nesters, together on screen every morning.

Working Together on Live

Since April 2023, Ripa and Consuelos have co-hosted Live with Kelly and Mark together, making their marriage part of the show's appeal. Their banter about married life, parenting adult children, and domestic minutiae resonates with viewers who see their own relationships reflected.

Working with a spouse is not without challenges, and both have joked about the adjustments: Consuelos learning the rhythms of live TV, Ripa learning to share her stage. But the experiment has been a ratings success and a personal joy.

Their on-air dynamic offers a daily masterclass in a happy marriage: teasing without cruelty, affection without embarrassment, and a partnership that clearly deepens with time.

The Secret to 30 Years

Asked over the years for the secret to their marriage, Ripa and Consuelos give consistent answers: communication, humor, and choosing each other every day. Ripa has emphasized that marriage is work, even a happy one, and that they prioritize their relationship amid demanding careers.

They have also been candid about rough patches, including a brief separation early in their marriage that they worked through. That honesty has made their advice credible: they are not a fairy tale but a real couple who did the work.

Thirty years after a Vegas elopement, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos remain each other's favorite person, on camera and off. In Hollywood, that might be the rarest achievement of all.

All My Children: Where It All Began

Kelly Ripa's career began on ABC's All My Children, where she played Hayley Vaughan from 1990 to 2002. It was there she met Mark Consuelos, cast as her love interest Mateo Santos, in a real-life plot twist worthy of the soap.

The show was a daytime institution, and Ripa's 12-year run made her a household name. Her chemistry with Consuelos was evident on screen long before it became real off screen.

When she left in 2002, it was to take a gamble: co-hosting Live! with Regis Philbin, a morning talk show that would define the next two decades of her life.

She has never forgotten her soap roots, returning for the show's finales and maintaining friendships with her daytime family.

The Live! Legacy

Kelly Ripa's 24-year run hosting Live! made her the queen of morning television. Through co-hosts Regis Philbin, Michael Strahan, Ryan Seacrest, and now husband Mark Consuelos, she was the show's constant: quick, warm, and unflappable.

Her 2023 memoir Live Wire pulled back the curtain on the talk show world, with candid stories about her career and marriage that became bestsellers.

The decision to bring Mark on as co-host in 2023 was both romantic and strategic: the couple's chemistry, honed over 29 years of marriage, is the show's engine.

At 56, Ripa has achieved something rare in television: longevity without staleness, a morning institution who still feels fresh.

"Live Wire": The Memoir

Kelly Ripa's 2023 memoir Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories was a bestseller, its candid essays revealing the woman behind the morning smile. She wrote about her marriage, her career, and the talk show world's hidden dramas.

The book's most talked-about revelations concerned her early Live! years: pay disparities, behind-the-scenes tensions, and the challenges of being a woman in morning television. Her honesty was refreshing.

She wrote movingly about Mark Consuelos, their 1996 elopement, and the work of sustaining a 29-year marriage in Hollywood. The love story, told in her voice, was the book's heart.

Critics praised her wit and vulnerability, the same qualities that made her a beloved host. The memoir proved she could hold a reader as easily as a viewer.

Live Wire's success added "best-selling author" to her resume, already crowded with hosting, acting, and producing credits.

At 56, Ripa's memoir was a reminder: the morning show host is also a sharp, funny writer with stories worth telling.

Her next chapter, co-hosting with her husband, promises more stories.

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