Who knew that a 1995 screen test for All My Children would result in one of Hollywood’s most successful love stories? More than two decades into their marriage, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos continue to make Us swoon with their passion and adoration for each other.
The Live With Kelly and Ryan host and the Riverdale actor’s relationship hasn’t altered since they first locked eyes as Consuelos read for the part of Mateo Santos, who would eventually become Ripa’s character Hayley Vaughan’s onscreen love.
Shortly after meeting on the set of the soap opera, Consuelos and Ripa quietly began dating. “I thought she was adorable, hot and sexy and all that stuff,” Consuelos recalled during a 2014 interview with HuffPo Live.”But I was very focused — I didn’t really think I had a chance with her, so I wasn’t really focused on that.”
After getting to know each other, it didn’t take long for the duo to realize they were soulmates. During a date night in 1996 — which consisted of pizza and wine — Consuelos proposed marriage to his love, and the two quickly jetted off to Las Vegas where they eloped.
Luckily, Ripa snagged a $199 dress weeks prior that was just hanging in her closet waiting for the perfect occasion. “I didn’t buy it as a wedding dress. I just bought it because it was really pretty, and I wanted to buy something from the Barneys Warehouse sale,” she told the audience during a 2016 episode of her morning talk show.
One year after tying the knot, Ripa and Consuelos welcomed their first child, Michael, and went on to add two more children — daughter Lola and son Joaquin — to their family in 2001 and 2003, respectively. When their kids eventually went off to college, the duo reflected on the pros and cons of being empty nesters.
“I will say the best part is there’s no laundry in our house,” the talk show host teased during a September 2021 interview with Entertainment Tonight, admitting it was “brutally painful” to drop her youngest son off at school. “There’s no dishes. There’s, like, nothing! Nothing! There’s nothing.”
On the other hand, “the worst part” was not realizing how quickly time would fly. “People would say to us, ‘Oh, don’t blink because they grow up before you know it, and they’ll be out of the house.’ And when you’re in it, you’re so tired, you’re so like, bone-tired in your bones that you can’t believe that’s true,” she explained. “But we did. We blinked, unfortunately, and now they are grown adults. … We didn’t slow down in real time to appreciate that aspect of them when they were small.”
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Scroll down to take a look back at Consuelos and Ripa’s relationship timeline:
Where it all began! “I auditioned him. They’d been looking for this character for some time … They didn’t want a dark-haired guy, they wanted a Latino actor. So I had auditioned every Latino actor in the city and around the city and then California,” Ripa dished during a SiriusXM interview in August 2018. “Then all of a sudden, Judy Blye Wilson, who was the casting director in All My Children, said, ‘I found him’ … [Judy] showed me his picture and … when I saw him, the photograph of him, I saw my entire future with him flash before [my eyes]. Like, I saw it. I [didn’t] believe in any of that and now I do because of that moment.” Ann Limongello/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images via Getty Images
Even 23 years after the twosome made the quick decision to elope in Vegas, Ripa credits the small ceremony for some of their continued bliss. “Listen, I’ve got to tell you, [Mark and I] had a Vegas wedding, and I firmly believe in the power of Vegas weddings,” she told cohost Ryan Seacrest in May 2019. Ann Limongello/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images via Getty Images
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes first son Michael Consuelos! The doting parents welcomed their eldest child in June 1997 and gushed over the young man in tributes for his 22nd birthday in June 2019. “Happy 22 to our #1..@michaelconsway..you’ve led the way…We love you. So proud of you,” Mark captioned two throwback pictures at the time. Ripa added: “Happy Birthday @michaelconsway ♥️ talented, handsome, smart, kind, and 22. You started this whole thing!” Diane L. Cohen/Liaison
Baby girl makes four! Ripa has revealed on multiple occasions that the reasoning behind the pair’s daughter’s name is thanks to Barry Manilow’s hit song “Copacabana.” The actress explains that the tune was playing in a taxi cab on their way to the hospital while she was in labor and after the lyrics said “her name was Lola,” both Mark and Ripa decided Lola Consuelos was a great name for their little girl. Bruce Glikas/Getty Images
And then came Joaquin! Ripa’s youngest son — who often visits her on set of her morning talk show — was born in February 2003. “Happy birthday baller,” Mark captioned a picture in 2019 in honor of Joaquin’s 16th birthday. “We love you!” Robin Platzer/FilmMagic
As if Mark and Ripa weren’t busy enough, the duo founded the New York based production company Milojo — a play on all of their children’s name — in 2007. Robert Milazzo/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images via Getty Images
“The Roaring 20!” Ripa captioned a throwback photo of her and her love to celebrate their marriage of two decades. “I love you @instasuelos #cheerstotwentyyears.” Ron Galella/WireImage
Back on set! Ripa guest starred as Consuelos’ mistress on a January 2019 episode of Riverdale. “[Riverdale creator] Roberto [Aguirre-Sacasa] called me and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got a question to ask you. Do you think she’d want to do it?’ And I said, ‘You know, yeah. Give her a call!’ They spoke and they figured it out,” the actor explained to Us Weekly at the time of how his wife landed the role. “Roberto’s awesome, man. No one knows this world better than him. He just made it happen. I definitely did not ask for him to do that. I think he thought it would be so much fun.” Jack Rowand/The CW
Consuelos gushed over his wife to Us Weekly: “I’m crazy about her,” he said. “She’s an extremely patient and tolerant woman, and I think that’s the true secret to our marriage." Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
After 23 years together, the duo told a story that proved they still can’t keep their hands off each other — even with kids in the house! During an episode of Live With Kelly and Ryan, Consuelos took the cohost seat next to Ripa and the two told a hilarious story of the morning before when Lola accidentally walked in on them having sex on her 18th birthday. “Thanks for ruining my birthday. And thanks for ruining my life. I used to see in color, and now everything is gray!” Lola yelled to her parents after slamming the door on them. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Ripa documented the moment she and Consuelos sent Lola to college in August 2019. The Instagram post included a photo of her hugging and kissing her daughter’s cheek as the teen started her freshman year at New York University. “The nest is getting roomy,” she captioned the picture. Her husband posted the same shot with the caption, “2 down… 1 to go…” referring to the couple’s eldest son, Michael, who is already in college, and their youngest son, Joaquin, who has two more years of high school. Courtesy Mark Consuelos/Instagram
In honor of his wife’s 49th birthday, Consuelos posted an Instagram photo of Ripa as a little girl, where he gushed over the talk show host and revealed that he would’ve likely been divorced many times if he hadn’t met her. “Happy Birthday to my Fave..I’m really glad you were born.. Because let’s face it, if you weren’t , I would’ve been married 3 or 4 times by now,” he wrote. “Which would’ve been really expensive, not to mention the super tense parent teacher conferences and all the awkward blended family holiday/vacations. Anyway, happy birthday sweetie.” Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
The couple got all glammed up to attend the 2020 Academy Awards together, which Ripa noted via Instagram was “prom” night for the two. Broadimage/Shutterstock
The longtime loves dished on the couple’s sex life after more than two decades into their marriage. “I think we found each other at the right time in our lives. We were really young, not that that’s the right time. We were really pliable to each other,” Ripa explained on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy’s Quarantined With Bruce. “We really learned each other well. With that comes a certain level of comfort and confidence and experimentation and just fun.” Consuelos, for his part, added: “I think you check off all the boxes for me.” Michael Simon/startraksphoto.com
The duo celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary during the coronavirus pandemic by sharing sweet tributes for one another via Instagram. Broadimage/Shutterstock
The couple briefly quarantined in the Caribbean with their children amid the coronavirus pandemic as shelter-in-place guidelines began to get more strict. "They were there in the Caribbean when the lockdown happened and so they just stayed there," a source told Us exclusively at the time. Courtesy Kelly Ripa/Instagram
Shortly before her 50th birthday, the talk show personality gushed over her husband's penchant for romance, even under the strangest circumstances. "We've been together a long time, but all Mark has to do is look at me [and I] feel so special, so pretty and so young," she told ET Canada in September 2020. "It's probably his superpower. He knows how to treat his spouse like the only person in the world. He's got the best smile I've ever seen, so when he smiles it's like the sun's shining on you. ... He's got this magic ability to be present and part of everything, so I feel very fortunate. I'm very lucky!" Courtesy Kelly Ripa/Instagram
"Happy birthday to my little ray of sunshine," he wrote via Instagram on Ripa's 50th birthday on October 2. "I love you, sexy." Courtesy of Mark Consuelos/Instagram
Ripa showed off her printed throw pillow that features a steamy pic of a shirtless Consuelos. Courtesy of Kelly Ripa/Instagram
The couple’s youngest son, Joaquin, committed to the University of Michigan, where he'll join the school's wrestling team. While Consuelos shared the news with some flexing emojis, the Live With Kelly and Ryan host posted a photo of her husband and youngest son smiling in Michigan Wrestling sweatshirts. “Sunday vibes,” she wrote. Courtesy of Kelly Ripa/Instagram
Ripa utilized her Instagram account to post a countdown to her husband’s 50th birthday, dubbed #MC50 by the talk show host. When the day arrived, she shared a nearly three-minute slideshow of photos from her husband’s childhood. “Happy birthday to the light of our lives @instasuelos,” she wrote. I’ve loved you for more than half of your life, here are the years before we met. I was looking for you. ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️🎂🎂.” John Salangsang/BEI/Shutterstock
"Happy 25th Anniversary to the love of my life @instasuelos in the blink of an eye. Because when you know, you know. Thank you for all of the dreams you made reality. ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️," Ripa captioned a romantic collage of photos from her wedding and more milestone anniversaries as the couple celebrated 25 years of marriage. The talk show host went on to show off more memories in her Instagram Story, along with the "best gift ever" from her doting husband. "If I were to write a book of our story, these are the 25 places that could have their own chapter," a note in a photo album from the Riverdale actor read. "All of these places mean so much to me — and hopefully to you too." Courtesy of Kelly Ripa/Instagram
The couple shared a silly vacation pic where Consuelos was happily staring at his wife’s backside. “When the end is in sight……😜,” Ripa captioned the snap via Instagram. “Okay🔥🔥🔥♥️♥️♥️,” her husband responded. Other celebs, including Mindy Kaling and Jenna Dewan, loved the flirty photo with Andy Cohen commenting, “This is the best pic you’ve ever posted.” Courtesy of Kelly Ripa/Instagram
While hosting Live With Kelly and Ryan alongside her husband, the Hope and Faith alum discussed how watching Scenes From a Marriage made her reflect on their relationship. "I was like, none of this would ever be happening in the Mark Consuelos household because he would have nipped all of this in the bud immediately," she said in September 2021. "He would have been like, 'Oh, you're upset? I know how to take care of that. Oh, you don't feel good about something? I'll take care of that. You're feeling like maybe you're overworked? I got you. I know what you need.'" The talk show host started to say that "everything for Mark is settled with," which the Riverdale star finished by saying "love." Ripa noted that "sexy time" was included as well. Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
The couple displayed the unique way they hold hands while Consuelos filled in for Ripa's cohost on Live With Kelly and Ryan. "Not kidding. That's how we walk and hold hands," Ripa joked as she and her husband stood several feet apart with their hands clasped together. "You know, in New York, people are like, 'Yeah, take up the whole sidewalk!' And I go, 'Have you seen our arms? Shut it! Go around us!'" Before the demo, Ripa teased that she and Consuelos were "arm length incompatible." Live with Kelly and Ryan
“Happy birthday @instasuelos my forever heart and soul ♥️ I’m so grateful we found each other. I love you more every day ♥️🎉🎂♥️🎂🎉,” Ripa wrote via Instagram before sharing more tributes to her Story. Courtesy of Kelly Ripa/Instagram
The pair went rock climbing together. "Couples therapy," Ripa captioned a snap from the outdoor adventure via Instagram. Courtesy of Kelly Ripa/Instagram
Ripa revealed on Live With Kelly and Ryan that even though she thought of her nude body as "ew," she was "so, so grateful" that Consuelos snapped a topless photo of her on their honeymoon in the '90s. “Do you know that I often rifle through the shoebox and I go, ‘Well, just remember! It used to look like this!'” she joked on air. Courtesy of Kelly Ripa/Instagram
“He's had every variety of facial hair a person can have,” Ripa joked of her spouse during an episode of Live With Kelly and Ryan. “He's had every kind. It's usually role-driven. If you see a hair change, it's for a role. There was one role in particular where I call it 'The Year of the Porn Stache.’” She added: “It was also the year we went to events [and I remember asking him], 'Do we need to bring the porn stache? The way your hair grows, you can have it grown back by tomorrow!’" Dave Allocca/Starpix/Shutterstock
While discussing the more intimate chapters of her first book, Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories, Ripa recalled thinking she was pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic. "I started taking pregnancy tests daily, but then Mark sort of gingerly said, 'Could there be another reason why you're not getting your period?'" the former soap opera actress recalled. "And [I said], 'What other reason could there possibly be?' He really had to walk on eggshells here [by explaining to me that I was probably going through menopause]." She added: "I was really grateful that I was not going to have to explain to my kids that they were about to meet their new sibling." Jason Mendez/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Ripa poked fun at how her husband helped — or didn't — while she gave birth to their three kids. "'Do you mind if i eat?' And 'I'm going to the batting cages since you're gonna be here a while,'" the former actress recalled in an Instagram comment while reflecting on Consuelos' role in her deliveries. DAVID SWANSON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
News broke that Ryan Seacrest was leaving Live after six years — and Consuelos was taking over. Shutterstock; Inset: ABC
"My biggest complaint about you over the course of our marriage — and this is not recent because it definitely changed — but you used to be insanely jealous and that was a hard pill to swallow," Ripa revealed on an episode of her "Let's Talk Off Camera" podcast. Consuelos, for his part, noted that he has since attempted to address his jealousy issues. "It's ugly. As ugly as it feels to the person who has to be on the receiving end of it, it's such an ugly feeling inside. If this is any consolation, you know you're being crazy. The jealous person knows that this is wrong and it's ugly, but they can't help it," he shared. "I wanted to do some work on myself and that was one of the major things that I needed to work on because it was getting in the way." Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Consuelos made his official debut as Ripa's Live cohost, with a montage of his past appearances on the show playing during the episode. "It's like you've always been here," Ripa teased. Courtesy of ABC
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