Kelly Ripa
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Who is Kelly Ripa?
Kelly Maria Ripa is an actress, dancer, talk show host, and television producer. She famously played Hayley Vaughan on the daytime soap opera, "All My Children," from 1990 to 2002. She has also co-hosted the morning show, "Live! With Kelly and Ryan," since 2001.
Early life:
Kelly Maria Ripa was born on October 2, 1970, in Stratford, New Jersey. She is the daughter of Esther and Joseph Ripa and has one sister, Linda.
Ripa has three-quarters Italian and one-quarter Irish ancestry and was raised Roman Catholic. She studied ballet since the age of three. Ripa is also played the piano.
Ripa attended and graduated from Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees Township, New Jersey. She was a cheerleader in high school. She was encouraged by her drama teacher to pursue acting.
After high school, Ripa enrolled at Camden County College to study psychology, but she dropped out to pursue acting. She landed starring roles in local theatre productions. Ripa was discovered while performing in "The Ugly Duckling." She then moved to New York City.
Career:
After being discovered in 1990, Ripa was cast in the role of Hayley Santos on the ABC daytime drama, "All My Children." The role earned her two nominations for a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in both 1993 and 1999.
In February 2001, Ripa began co-hosting ABC's morning talk show, "Live! With Regis and Kelly." At the time she was still periodically appearing on "All My Children." She left "All My Children" in 2002. She reprised her role for two episodes in 2010 for the show's 40th anniversary.
In January 2011, Ripa's co-host, Philbin, retired from "Live!" at the age of 80. She took over hosting, and the show's name was changed to "Live! With Kelly." In June 2012, "Live!" won its first Emmy.
In September of the same year, Michael Strahan was cast to co-host with Ripa, and the show's name was changed to "Live! With Kelly and Michael." However, they did not get along well, and Strahan left the show four months earlier than expected.
The show returned to being called "Live! With Kelly." A year later in April 2017, Ripa introduced Ryan Seacrest as her new co-host. The show was renamed "Live with Kelly & Ryan."
Ripa is known to be a hard worker and often juggles several jobs at the same time. From 2003 to 2006, she starred in "Hope & Faith" while also being the spokesperson for brands like Tide, Pantene, and TD Bank.
She is currently the brand ambassador for Electrolux and Rykä. And in 2007, with her husband Mark Consuelos, Ripa launched her own production company, Milojo.
Personal life:
In 1995, Ripa met Mark Consuelos, on the set of "All My Children." They eloped on May 1, 1996, and have three children together.
Their children's names are Michael Joseph (born June 2, 1997), Lola Grace (born June 16, 2001), and Joaquin Antonio Consuelos (born February 24, 2003)
Movies/Series:
- All My Children (1990-2010)
- Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003)
- Hope & Faith (2003-2006)
- Marvin's Room (1996)
Awards/Achievements:
2016
- Daytime Emmy - Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host for "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" (1988)
2015
- Daytime Emmy - Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host for "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" (1988)
- Star on the Walk of Fame - Television
2012
- Daytime Emmy - Outstanding Talk Show Host for "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" (1988)
2011
- Daytime Emmy - Outstanding Talk Show Host for "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" (1988)
- Tied with Mehmet Oz for "The Dr. Oz Show" (2009).
2000
- Soap Opera Digest Award - Outstanding Younger Lead Actress for "All My Children" (1970)
1999
- Feature Film Award - Best Actress for "The Stand-In" (1999)
1998
- Soap Opera Digest Award - Hottest Romance for "All My Children"
1996
- Soap Opera Digest Award - Outstanding Younger Leading Actress for "All My Children" (1970)
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“Having been a cheerleader, I know all too well what these girls give up to join forces and compete.” ~ Kelly Ripa
Trivia:
- Ripa participated in the ABC First-Ever Super Soap Weekend at Disney/MGM Studios, Florida on October 19 and 20, 1996
- During the 1980s, when she appeared on "Dance Party USA" (1986), her career goal was to be a newscaster, and she often did "Dance Party USA" (1986) cast news reports
- Awarded #19 in E! Rank's Top 25 Blondes
- She regularly chooses to host entire episodes of "Live! with Kelly" (1988) barefoot
- Attended and graduated from Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, New Jersey (1989)
- Named one of E!'s "Top 20 entertainers of 2001"
- Named one of "People" magazine's "25 Most Intriguing People of 2001"
- Her father, Joe, was sworn in (January 6, 2004) as the County Freeholder for Camden County in the state of New Jersey. The ceremony took place at the Scottish Rites Auditorium in the New Jersey city of Collingswood. She grew up in the nearby town of Berlin