celebforum - Kelly Ripa

Kelly Maria Ripa (born October 2, 1970) an American Daytime Emmy Award-winning actress, television personality and talk show host. Since February 2001, she has served as the co-host of Live with Regis and Kelly. Earlier in her career, Ripa played Hayley Vaughan Santos on All My Children; she also played Faith Fairfield on Hope & Faith. Both are television series on ABC.

Early life

Kelly Ripa went to Berlin Community School in Berlin, NJ. She then attended school at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees Township, New Jersey. Performed in the high school plays and was discovered at her senior high school play, The Ugly Duckling. Ripa acted at local theaters and had a regular spot on the USA Network's Dance Party USA – an afternoon teen music program. Her father is of Italian descent, and her mother is 1/2 Italian, and 1/2 Irish.

Career

Ripa acquired her first major acting role as gothic teen turned suffering heroine Hayley Vaughan on the soap opera All My Children. While there, the character would become a popular fixture.

Later, Ripa was selected to work alongside Regis Philbin for the long-running talk show Live with Regis and Kelly. Ripa was on double duty, but the following year in 2002, Ripa left All My Children.

A few months before Ripa hosted Live, she appeared on a celebrity version of the Philbin Who Wants to be a Millionaire and walked away with $250,000.

In September 2003, she was back on double duty when she co-starred (with Faith Ford) on Hope & Faith, a situation comedy. She portrayed Faith Fairfield, a former soap star whose character is killed off and who moves in with (and subsequently wreaks havoc on) her sister Hope's family. Hope & Faith survived for three seasons before a ratings decline led to its cancellation.

In June 2004, Ripa agreed to continue as Live co-host for at least five more years, at a salary that the tabloid television show Extra reported was $8 million/year. In October 2006, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos, also an actor, were partnering with producers from Hope & Faith on a sitcom for The CW Television Network that would be loosely based on the couple's experiences as soap opera actors.

In April 2007, Ripa hosted the 2007 TV Land Awards. In May 2007, Ripa stated that she most likely is done with acting for the time being.

Controversies

On August 14, 2002, guest Judith Light created a stir on Live with Regis and Kelly when she got into a shouting match with Kelly after Kelly corrected Judith's pronunciation of "worcestershire".[citation needed] This became a recurring topic on the show, with the on-air talent frequently making light of the incident.

On November 17, 2006, Clay Aiken was a guest host on Live with Regis and Kelly. During an interview with Cheryl Burke, Aiken covered Kelly Ripa's mouth with his hand and Ripa flinched and said "...I don't know where that hand has been." There was considerable reaction after Kelly mentioned the incident on her show four days later, with Rosie O'Donnell scolding Ripa for what appeared to be a "homophobic" reaction. Aiken mocked the controversy on the 2006 American Music Awards a few days later with Tori Spelling.

Awards and honors

Ripa won five Soap Opera Digest Awards for playing Hayley on All My Children in 1996, 1998 & 2000. She has been nominated for 8 Daytime Emmy Awards. Three of these nominations were for playing Hayley on All My Children, and 5 were for performing hosting duties alongside Regis.

In April 2006, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Special for co-hosting the 2005 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade with Regis Philbin and Ryan Seacrest.

On September 15, 2006, Ripa broke the Guinness World Record for custard pie throwing, tossing 24 banana cream pies in one minute at actor Wilmer Valderrama, as part of a Guinness World Record Breaker theme week on Live with Regis and Kelly. She beat the record set by NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth on the previous day, when he threw 17 pies at Ripa herself.

Personal life

Ripa was born in Camden County, New Jersey, the daughter of Esther, a homemaker, and Joseph Ripa, a labor union president and bus driver. Ripa's father has been a freeholder for Camden County, New Jersey since January 2004.

In 1995, Ripa met Mark Consuelos, her co-star on All My Children; the two married on May 1, 1996. The couple have three children — Michael Joseph Consuelos, born June 2, 1997; Lola Grace Consuelos, born June 16, 2001; and Joaquin Antonio Consuelos, born February 24, 2003.

Rock band Cowboy Mouth recorded a song titled Kelly Ripa and performed it live on the Regis and Kelly Show. Ripa responded that it was the greatest thing that ever happened to her when she heard it. The song has since been released on The Name of the Band is Cowboy Mouth.

Kelly lives mostly in her apartment in Soho, and also owns a summer home in the Hamptons.

Her best friend, who she regularly talks about on the show, is Elizabeth Arentz.

She is a passionate New York Mets fan and does commercials for the team.

Television work

* Dance Party USA (1986-1992) (frequent regular)
* All My Children (cast member from 1990-2002)
* Someone to Love (2001)
* Live with Regis and Kelly (2001-present)
* Ed (2002)
* It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)
* Hope & Faith (2003-2006)
* Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time (2003) (voice)
* Kelly Ripa's E! True Hollywood Story (2006)
* Go, Diego, Go! - mother wolf (voice) (2006)
* 50 Funniest Women Alive, Oxygen (2007) (also placed #6)
* The Knights of Prosperity (2007)
* 6abc Boscov's Thanksgiving Day Parade (annual appearance)

Filmography

* Marvin's Room (1996) Coral
* The Stand-In (1999) Jennifer
* Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003) (voice) (direct-to-video) Dr. Roxanne "Rocky" Ballantine
* Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) herself
* Fly Me to the Moon (2007) (voice) Nat's mom
* Delgo (2008 ) (voice) Kurrin