Skip to main content

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are one of Hollywood’s most famous celebrity couples. Their 27-year love story began during their days on All My Children. However, Ripa almost scared her future husband off during his audition.

Kelly Ripa in a black dress and Mark Consuelos in a blue tuxedo smile for a photo on the Oscar red carpet.
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos I Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Kelly Ripa reveals she ‘accidentally harassed’ husband Mark Consuelos on ‘All My Children’

Like many celebrity couples, Ripa and Consuelos met while working together. Ripa was already an established star on All My Children, having played Hayley Vaughan since 1990. In 1995, the producers decided it was time to cast a love interest for Ripa’s character.

A casting call was made for Mateo Santos, who would be Hayley’s new boyfriend. One of the actors in the audition was Consuelos, who had to screen test with Ripa. In an interview with Late Night with Seth Meyers, Ripa admitted during the audition she “accidentally harassed” her future husband.

“I walked up to him at a screen test, and I said, ‘I had a dream about you.'” Ripa explained to Consuelos during the audition that the dream consisted of them on a plane to Rome with a baby in red pajamas. “And he’s like, ‘Oh, yeah.’ He’s looking around at the other guys who are screen testing like has she said anything this bats*** like this to any of you?”

As the couple’s conversation continued, Consueld asked Ripa if she’d ever been to Rome, to which she replied no. Consuelos told Ripa, “We used to live in Italy; you would like it.” Ripa joked that she thought Consuelos would file a restraining order after he left. Then Ripa began researching Consuelos and discovered he was single.

The couple has been married for over two decades

Ripa and Consuelos began dating as their characters Hayle, and Mateo’s romance began on All My Children. A year after joining the soap opera, he and Ripa eloped to Las Vegas in May 1996. The couple welcomed their first child, son Michael in June 1997.

The couple would add two more children to their family. In June 2001, Ripa gave birth to a daughter, Lola. Their second son Joaquin was born in February 2003.

Aside from their children, the couple has endured many career changes. In February 2001, Ripa was announced as Regis Philbin’s co-host for Live! After Philbin’s retirement in November 2011, Ripa became the lead on the show. Her co-hosts included Michael Strahan and her current sidekick Ryan Seacrest.

As for Consuelos, aside from being a proud and supportive husband, he remains busy with his acting career. His credits include the film Cop Out and the TV series American Horror Story: Asylum. But his most memorable role is Hiram Lodge in the CW series Riverdale.

Kelly Ripa shares about her life in her new memoir ‘Live Wire’

Ripa is an open book regarding her life with Consuelos and their family. The talk show host is occasionaly share tidbits on Live! Now she’s chronicling her life and career in her memoir Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories.

Related

How Kelly Ripa Kept Mark Consuelos From Making This Huge Mistake

Ripa leaves no stone unturned as she talks about her career and personal life. One of the stunning revelations from the book is her breakup with Consuelos, which occurred days before their elopement. But the split didn’t last long. Shortly after reconciling, Consuelos suggested they fly to Vega to get married.

And the rest, as they say, is history.