The public may see Kelly Ripa on their television every morning, but there may be things people don't know about her.
From Dropping Out of College to Her Coffee Addiction: 5 Things You Don't Know About Kelly Ripa
1. Ripa's 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,” Ripa, who joined Live! in 2001, recalled. “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 co-host 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. Ripa Is 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,” Ripa said. “I have a Starbucks latte when I get to Live!. Then I will have a half a coffee after the show wraps."
3. Ripa and Mark Consuelos Have a Perfect Work-Life Balance
Ripa's husband, actor Mark Consuelos, became her co-host on Live! last April, but after the show wraps, “we go about our days,” Ripa said. “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. Ripa Would Like Some Time Off
Ripa has no plans to retire from Live! anytime soon, but when she does, she 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," she said.
5. Ripa Dropped Out of College
"My parents were adamant about college, so I took a few courses and then would audition for everything,” Ripa, who got her big break on TV’s All My Children, said. And, she joked, “My father is still waiting for me to go to college!”