It’s been 22 years since Kelly Ripa first took her seat next to Regis Philbin as an official co-host of Live! Since then, three other men (and a whole lot of guest hosts) have shared the stage with her on the popular syndicated morning show, and naturally the question has come up — especially with Ryan Seacrest’s recent exit — about how much longer she plans to watch the sun rise with her loyal viewers. The topic of retirement came up again recently, and Ripa didn’t hesitate to share her opinion.
Retirement is not a dirty word, it turns out, for Kelly Ripa, who spoke to the Purist about all things life, love and career. Those three things seem to be intertwined right now, as her husband of 27 years, Mark Consuelos began serving as her co-host on Live with Kelly and Mark following Ryan Seacrest’s final episode in April. When speaking about why she’s stayed on the show for so long and if she thinks about retiring, Ripa also mentioned that she’s had opportunities to walk away over the years. She said:
I think the risk-averse quality I have is probably the reason I stayed with the same job for so long. Other offers come along, but I like to stick with what I know. I am very steadfast in everything I do, and so when you have me, you have me for life. Having said that, I don’t intend to work at this job for the rest of my life. I do talk about retirement with great interest, but right now I’m very happy, especially working with Mark.
It would be hard to blame Kelly Ripa for not wanting to turn her back on a good thing. With two decades of experience on Live!, she’s clearly doing something right, as audiences have stayed with her through all the show rebrandings. It’s not as if the job offers haven’t come, the former soap opera star revealed, but apparently her aversion to risk — and possibly not receiving the right kind of offer — has kept her right where she is.
Her fans certainly aren’t going to complain about that, as she’s offered some consistency to her early-morning audience. But nothing lasts forever, and this isn’t the first time retirement has come up recently. Amid Ryan Seacrest’s exit from Live with Kelly and Ryan, Kelly Ripa admitted that she was “always thinking about retirement.” In fact, she called it her “favorite topic of discussion.”
While the longtime host has said she always thought she’d retire before Ryan Seacrest, sharing the stage with her husband has given her a “little jolt of energy,” so it seems like viewers can breathe easy, at least for now. I’m not sure we’ll see Kelly Ripa continue without Mark Consuelos, so a few big questions remain: How many more years will she stay? Will both hosts make their exit at the same time? Would Consuelos stay on the show without his wife? (He’s certainly been holding down the fort when Ripa goes mysteriously missing.)
Of course, only time will tell, and fans should continue to enjoy her while they can. Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are expected to return with new episodes of Live! in September, so keep your eye on the 2023 TV schedule for that and all of the other upcoming premiere dates.
