Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos to co-host 'Live': Look back at their relationship
It's official!
Kelly Ripa will be joined by her husband, actor Mark Consuelos, as co-host of "Live With Kelly and Ryan" following the announcement Thursday that Ryan Seacrest will be leaving the ABC morning show.
Take a look back at Ripa and Consuelos' relationship before the two officially become co-hosts later this year.
From co-stars to husband and wife
Ripa, 52, and Consuelos, 51, first met when Consuelos auditioned for the long-running soap opera "All My Children" back in 1995.
Ripa had been on the daytime soap for five years by then, playing Hayley Vaughan, and the two actors did a screen test together.
"I fell in love with Mark the day I met him," Ripa revealed in an April 2020 episode of "Live" when Consuelos was a guest on the show. "The day I met him, I just knew. I knew that he was the guy I was going to marry."
Consuelos eventually joined the cast of "All My Children" and would go on to portray Mateo Santos Sr. for 128 episodes. His character and Ripa's character married on the show in 2000.
The couple explained on "Live" that the morning show played an unexpected role in their relationship, leading to their engagement.
"After we taped the show, we went for a walk," Ripa recalled.
"We went for a walk to the park, I convinced her to come back to my apartment. We had a pizza and wine and I asked her to marry me," Consuelos said.
"I said to him, 'Ask me when you're serious,' and he said, 'I am serious,'" Ripa added.
Ripa and Consuelos eloped in Las Vegas in 1996.
They will celebrate their 27th wedding anniversary in May.
From newlyweds to parents of 3
Just over one year after they wed, Ripa and Consuelos became first-time parents, welcoming a son named Michael.
Four years later, in 2001, the couple welcomed a daughter, whom they named Lola.
In 2003, Ripa and Consuelos welcomed their third child, a son named Joaquin.
All three children have made appearances on "Live" over the years.
Michael Consuelos is now an actor who has appeared on "Riverdale" alongside his dad, while Lola Consuelos is a singer who released her first song last year.
Joaquin Consuelos is a student at the University of Michigan, where he is a member of the school's wrestling team.
Husband and wife and professional partners
Ripa and Consuelos continued to work together long after they ended their respective runs on "All My Children."
Consuelos has been a guest co-host on "Live" numerous times, and Ripa also had a guest spot on "Riverdale" as the mistress of Consuelos' character, Hiram Lodge.
The husband-and-wife duo also run their own production company, Milojo, which is named after the first two letters of each of their kids' names, according to the company's website.
Following Thursday's announcement that Consuelos will be joining "Live," Ripa shared an Instagram post where she tagged her husband and wrote, "Welcome home, or to the contractual obligation phase of our relationship."
Consuelos shared his own message on Instagram, congratulating Seacrest on his "next chapter" and calling Ripa his "ride or die."
"@kellyripa my ride or die," he wrote. "This is going to be amazing! I can't believe after all these years of listening to you talk for free, I found a way to get paid for it. Is this a great country or what? ❤️"
