Kelly Ripa is the very definition of a supermom: she has hosted the morning show Live! since 2001, all while balancing a flourishing career in show business with raising a family alongside her husband, Mark Consuelos.
She met Mark, who is also her Live! co-host since 2023, in 1995, where he played her husband on the set of the soap All My Children; the pair fell in love and eloped to Vegas just a year later.
The couple have since welcomed Michael, Lola and Joaquin; despite growing up in the spotlight and frequently appearing on Live! throughout their childhood, the Kelly’s kids remain well-adjusted and down-to-earth.
Kelly, who has fronted the show since 2001, has never failed to gush about her children or their achievements. From Michael’s blossoming career in TV production to Lola’s passion for music and Joaquin’s dedication to wrestling, she clearly takes pride in her kids’ success and frequently celebrates their wins with the world.
Join HELLO! as we explore Kelly’s incredible and loving bond with her three children.
Kelly and Mark welcomed their three children in 1997, 2001 and 2003
Kelly’s parenting philosophy
Kelly is the modern mom, and despite growing up in the spotlight and appearing alongside their parents in various projects, her kids remain grounded and hardworking. Speaking to Daily Mail about her parenting philosophy, she said, “We want to raise productive people who are thoughtful and selfless.”
“I wanted to raise good, caring, generous, thoughtful people who are professional, who are polite, who don’t expect the world to be handed to them.”
Her three children are all following in the footsteps of their hardworking mother by focusing on their own projects, studies and careers, and not flaunting their nepo baby status. While Kelly and Mark were happy to help them get on their feet, she revealed on Live! in 2022 that they expect the best out of their kids.
Kelly has taken learnings from her own life into parenting her children
“I said to them, these are years that you won’t get back, and this is a time where we won’t mind supporting you financially as long as you work– as long as you maintain a job for your add-ons, as I call them,” she said.
“The bells and whistles, the stuff that they want– as long as you work for that, we will cover the core expenses, but once you graduate, that’s over. Because we were married at 25, you know what I mean? And we feel like because we didn’t have safety nets, we got something cooking.”
It’s clear that Kelly’s values of hard work and gratitude have rubbed off on Michael, Lola and Joaquin; all three are paving their own path, thanks to their parents’ love and support.
Especially when they were younger, Kelly’s kids were often spotted out and about with their mom
Following in Mom’s footsteps
Kelly and Mark’s eldest, Michael, was born in June 1997 and has followed his parents into the world of TV and showbiz. He attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts for filmmaking and now works for the reality show giant Bravo, where he produces series like The Real Housewives franchise and Summer House.
Kelly revealed to People that he didn’t have a big high school graduation ceremony or celebration due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time, but that didn’t faze Michael, according to his mom. “He, in typical Michael fashion, said, ‘Well, it’s not a big deal. As long as I still get my degree, it’s fine.'”
“He’s one of these very uniquely special kids; he’s just been kind his entire life, and he’s such a good person and a hard worker that I wanted some big event celebrating him,” she said. Instead, the tight-knit family traveled to Greece and Italy a year later to celebrate his achievement.
Kelly couldn’t be prouder of her son and never fails to express her admiration for Michael. “He has the strongest moral compass of anyone I’ve ever known,” Kelly told People in 2019. “He is just such a good and decent and thoroughly kind person.”
Kelly has often expressed how proud she is of her son, calling him a “good person”
Like mother, like daughter
As Kelly’s only daughter, the pair share a special bond, and she is extremely supportive of Lola’s budding music career. When she was born in June 2001, Kelly was so excited to share the good news that she called into Live! less than three hours later, while still in the hospital, telling the world that the couple had welcomed baby Lola.
Like her brother Michael, Lola attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, instead focusing on music production. Kelly recounted on Live! in January 2020 how she taught her daughter a valuable lesson about money when she first experienced college life.
“She’s at college, and we signed her up for a meal plan, ’cause we’re not monsters,” Kelly said. “We signed her up for a meal program. But you know, she doesn’t like the meals at school, so she was ordering Postmates.”
Lola often accompanies her famous mom to red carpet events
“Here’s what would happen. She would order the $7 salad, but it would cost $25 to have it delivered three blocks in New York City. Oh, we shut down that debit card account she had!”
This wasn’t the only lesson Kelly wanted to impart to her daughter; she told People in 2019 about the one beauty rule she has constantly reminded her of. “What is the one thing I’ve always told you?” Kelly asked Lola in the interview.
“Never touch your eyebrows! I have always told you never to touch your eyebrows, and you never have, and I’m so right about that.”
Despite the life lessons, Kelly told People in 2020 just how proud she is of her only daughter and that Lola has taught her “so much about being a modern-day woman”.
“It really gives me hope,” she continued. “Her generation really supports each other, the way she and her friends have each other’s backs. For all the talk about women helping other women, I see it in her generation in a way I never have before.”
Lola now splits her time between New York and London as she embarks on a music career; she has released two singles, “Paranoia Silverlining” and “Divine Timing”, and her parents frequently promote her music on their social media, bursting with pride at her accomplishments.
Lola is pursuing a career in music
Flying the nest
Frequently referred to as “the newborn” by his loving mother, Joaquin is the youngest of the Consuelos-Ripa brood and was born in February 2003. Kelly spoke about raising Joaquin to People in 2020 and how the experience compared to her other two children.
“As you get older and you learn more, that youngest kid hopefully benefits from a little bit more wisdom…and hopefully fewer nerves,” she said.
“I think I had definitive ideas about raising girls versus raising boys, even though I don’t really believe in gender stereotyping. My sons are just as sensitive as my daughter, and my daughter is as strong as my sons.”
Unlike his siblings, Joaquin moved away from show business and enrolled at the University of Michigan, where he discovered a passion for wrestling. His parents often go to his matches to support him and post their pride for their youngest on social media.
With all three children at college or working, Kelly and Mark have been home alone
Joaquin leaving home meant that Kelly and Mark officially became empty nesters; she spoke about the experience on Live!, recalling when it hit her that her children were all grown up. “We became empty nesters. We took our youngest son to college, we dropped him off. It was hard. It was really hard,” she said.
“We dropped him off at school, and we gave him a hug- it was actually brutally painful. And I said, ‘I did not realize that 18 years would go so fast.'”
“It’s one of those things where you can never be ready,” she added.
BY KATIE FITZPATRICK
