How Did Kelly Ripa Become Famous and Wealthy?

When it comes to longevity and hard work, there are few actresses in Hollywood that can do it better than Kelly Ripa. Although she has seen her fair share of drama, she has also proven herself loyal to both of her most notable roles and her fans.

Her bubbly personality seems to work well for a lot on morning people who tune in every weekday to watch her. People also like hearing about her life, which she shares on the show.

With droves of fans, you might be trying to figure out how she became famous. She didn’t just walk on the set of Live! with Regis and take over. Or did she? Here is everything we know about how Kelly Ripa became rich and famous. And a little about her cute husband too.

Kelly Ripa’s early career

Kelly Ripa’s career took off in 1990 when she landed the role of Hayley Vaughan on All My Children. This was a really big role for Ripa. Not just in terms of notoriety, and work, but also because this is where she met her future husband Mark Consuelos.

The pair met on the set during her 12 years playing her iconic character. They fell in love quickly and eloped in 1996. Now more than two decades later they have three children together. They are also considered one of the most loving and long-lasting relationships in Hollywood.

While Kelly Ripa no longer plays on All My Children, she is known to do the occasional guest spot, like during the show’s 40th anniversary. She also on occasion takes a role on a movie or television show.

How she became a household name

Although her long-running role on All My Children won her a lot of accolade and fans, she really became famous in 2001. This was when she started working as a daytime talk show host. She started co-hosting Live! with Regis and Kelly, after replacing Kathie Lee Gifford, who had been on the show for a long time.

It wasn’t long before she hit her stride, and people forgot all about Gifford. In 2011, Regis Philbin announced he was leaving the show and retiring at age 80. The show changed to Live! With Kelly, until Michael Strahan was hired as co-host the show with her.

Following a lot of speculation and rumors of fighting and drama, Strahan officially announced he would be leaving Live! and going to Good Morning America. It was said that Ripa was so angry at Strahan that she was not able to work with him until his departure. He left four months earlier than expected.

Now Ripa hosts the show with longtime friend Ryan Seacrest. It’s kind of interesting that she is considered one of the hardest-working women in Hollywood and Seacrest is regarded as one of the hardest-working men. The fans must also agree that they make a good pair because the show continues to do well, with almost no drama.

How did Kelly Ripa become famous and wealthy?

You might be wondering how Kelly Ripa became famous and wealthy. It was a combination of her longtime stint on All My Children, odd movie and TV roles, and her hosting position on Live! that helped her gain fame and fortune, according to Biography.

Also, remember that she gets paid a lot of money in as a spokesperson for several big name brands. Tide, Pantene, TD Bank, Electrolux, and Rykä all pay her big bucks to represent their products. Today she has a net worth at around $75 million. 

With almost 30 years in the entertainment industry, it is hard to believe anyone else as the face of Live!