The Untold Truth Of Kelly Ripa's Kids
Kelly Ripa is both hilarious and honest when it comes to speaking her mind about mothering. After all, many women will agree that motherhood can truly be a challenge. "I think children are like pancakes," the "Live" talk show host has been quoted saying. "You sort of ruin the first one, and you get better at it the second time around."
She also shared, "Around the time [Michael] was born we'd just bought one of those widescreen TVs, which were all the rage then. And we walked out of the store with, like, a 6,000-page manual on how to work the thing," Ripa told WebMD. "The hospital, on the other hand, gave us a leaflet that said things like, 'When the baby is hungry, feed him. When he's tired, put him to bed.' Incredible, right?"
While Ripa got her start in the entertainment industry as a young actress on "All My Children," her children have given the mother of three loads of wisdom to pass along to fans. From the funny to the serious — and everything in between — this is the untold truth of Kelly Ripa's kids.
Kelly Ripa's kids all have stories behind their names
Kelly Ripa had always wanted to name her future son Joaquin, so when she had a baby boy, she and her husband, actor Mark Consuelos, were prepared. Unfortunately, before his birth on June 2, 1997, both of Consuelos' grandfathers tragically passed away. "We lost them before they got a chance to meet Michael, so we named Michael after both of his grandparents," Ripa explained on her talk show.
Four years later, in June 2001, Ripa and her husband were excitedly expecting another baby. When she went into labor, they immediately hopped in a New York taxi and headed for the hospital without a name for their baby in mind. Luckily, the ride there provided them with some much needed insight. "Lola was named, because I was in labor and 'Copacabana' by Barry Manilow was playing in the cab," Ripa said. "And 'Her name was Lola! She was a showgirl!'" From there, the name stuck.
On February 24, 2003, Ripa gave birth to her third child, a son who she and her husband were finally able to name Joaquin Consuelos (via PopSugar).
A psychic predicted Kelly Ripa was pregnant with Lola
Kelly Ripa, who's had a stunning transformation over the years, is known for divulging hilarious stories about her children on her talk show, but during one of her first appearances on the show, more information about her family was shared than she anticipated. In fact, she didn't even work full-time on the show yet!
In 2000, Kelly Ripa was invited to try out as a co-host. That day, psychic Char Margolis was a guest on the show. When the psychic medium began communicating with Ripa's grandmother in the spirit world, Ripa burst into tears. Margolis explained to the young star how her grandmother would always be watching over her family. "She's also showing me another baby," the psychic added. "She's saying that she's going to watch over you when this new baby comes. It's soon. It's not far away. You're not pregnant, are you?"
Ripa was stunned and seemed to quickly shut down on stage. She began laughing as she answered with, "I haven't told my boss yet!" Luckily, it made her so memorable that she was immediately hired as the new co-host, as noted by The Washington Post. That's one way to make a pregnancy announcement!
The kids had a strict cell phone policy growing up
For a woman who's spent her life working in media, Kelly Ripa surprisingly had a pretty strict Internet and cell phone policy for her kids growing up. She even knew the passcodes to their cell phones, as Ripa shared on "The Wendy Williams Show." "Parents should never allow kids to surf the Net without supervision," Ripa told WebMD. "Guide them and set limits. They won't like it. But you wouldn't allow a young child to walk down the street alone."
As a kid growing up in the '70s and '80s, Ripa believes that times were much simpler for her parents than they are for parents raising kids today. "There was so much less stimulation then, more freedom. And we were content with less. Kids today are much savvier," she said. So savvy that even when Ripa did have to ground one of her kids and take away their cell phone — which wasn't allowed to be in the room during homework time — the fight wouldn't end there. "You still have to toss the room, because they have hidden devices," Ripa explained on her show. "I don't know where they come from!"
Their mom doesn't care if they like her
When Kelly Ripa's daughter, Lola Consuelos, became a teenager, she wasn't happy with the strict rules her mom had in place. "I don't think she likes me," Ripa admitted on "The Wendy Williams Show." "But I don't care. I'm not your friend. I'm your mom."
All parents want their children to like them, and sometimes it seems like the easiest thing to do when a child is throwing a tantrum is to give in. However, Ripa advises parents to take a step back and really think about the future first. "Basically, it's my philosophy that doing the easy thing in the short term makes it harder for parents in the long run," she told WebMD. "Giving in when you want to say 'no' may quiet things down momentarily, but you'll just have more of the same — and then some — down the road."
Though Ripa always comes across as having a fun-loving personality on television, it's obvious to see that she's not afraid to set down rules for her children at home. "My kids understand that we love them no matter what," she said. "And they also know that 'no' means no."
Michael is an actor
Kelly Ripa's oldest son, Michael Consuelos, seems to be following in his famous father's footsteps. In 2018, acting was something he wanted to pursue. It also happened to be a time when Riverdale, a show his dad Mark Consuelos stars in, was looking to cast a younger version of his character. Who else could be more perfect for the part than his son?
However, the crew required Michael to audition first. "That was the part I was most nervous about," he admitted on "Live." The young actor thought it should be no problem getting the part considering he inherited half his looks from his father, but he was shocked when he entered the audition room. "Everyone there looked like my dad," he said. "Even more like my dad than me."
"You quickly figured it out," Ripa replied, "you're a dime a dozen. Welcome to Hollywood!" Luckily, Michael received the role and appeared in a Season 3 episode and has had a knack to act ever since. Like father, like son.
Lola is camera shy
Kelly Ripa's middle child, Lola Consuelos, is not a fan of the spotlight like her mother. When she appeared on an episode of "Live with Kelly and Ryan" in 2017, Ripa divulged that she was afraid her daughter wouldn't even show up. Luckily, she did. However, "I'm so nervous," was the first thing she said to her mom as she appeared on screen.
Being a celebrity in the 21st century, Ripa is no stranger to social media. Any fan scrolling through Instagram can see various photos of her showing off her three kids, but Lola wishes her mother would take down photos of her. "She's like, 'You take it down right now!'" Ripa once shared of her daughter's reaction to her Instagram posts, as reported by Us Weekly. "'My friends follow you for some reason, and they will see this!'"
It's understandable that every mother wants to proudly show off their kids, so she wishes Lola would let her. "It's so bizarre. I'm never allowed to post a photo of her — ever," Ripa added. "Why did I have these kids if not to exploit them on social media?"
Lola can sing!
Though Lola Consuelos seems to be pretty shy when it comes to hopping in front of a camera, she may pursue a career in the entertainment business after all. She posted to her own Instagram account an incredible video showcasing her voice in December 2019. Though viewers couldn't catch a clear glimpse of her face in the video, she confidently showed off her serious singing skills, and the video drew major attention from many big stars — including one very close to her. "You are gifted," her proud mama posted in the comments.
Turns out, Kelly Ripa's daughter pursued music as her college major at New York University. "I've been on her because she has been working on this project," Ripa said on her talk show in 2019 (via People). "I was like, 'I want you to send me your rough draft of your song. I want to hear what you've laid down so far.' And she's been kind of blowing me off and not responding." Kids, right?
However, Lola did eventually share more of her music. In fact, in April 2024, she released her first single, "Roles."
Joaquin is the rumored favorite of Kelly Ripa's kids
The baby of any family almost always gets labeled as the family favorite, and, for the Consuelos family, that seems to be no different. "That's the rumor," Kelly Ripa's youngest son, Joaquin Consuelos, admitted when asked about it on his mom's show in 2018. "And that rumor — I think there's a lot of speculation involved in that, but from what I know from the many 15 years I've been in the family, I can say that that is most likely true."
Joaquin's older sister, Lola Consuelos agrees, and explained that it might have to do something with the fact that both he and their mom enjoy staying active, and this is a hobby they can bond over while doing together. "Michael would agree with me," Kelly Ripa's daughter said on her mom's show.
So what is Ripa's response to this? "I don't have favorites," she laughed, as she addressed the rumor on "Live with Kelly and Ryan." "I only have least favorites."
Kelly Ripa's kids are all close
Sure, siblings are notoriously known for fighting and never getting along when they're together, but, when Kelly Ripa and her husband, Mark Consuelos, moved their daughter into her college dorm at New York University in 2019, they were shocked to see just how much her sons cared for their sis. "They really are very, very close, and I didn't realize how close they were until it was time to say goodbye," Ripa shared on her show.
The mother of three thinks it may have to do with how close her daughter and youngest son, Joaquin Consuelos, are in age. "It's one of those things that you don't realize how close [they are] — the younger two are really close in age, like, I didn't even know I was pregnant with the third one because I was still nursing the second one," Ripa admitted (via People), so moving Lola into her dorm seemed to be too much for her youngest to take. She noted that Joaquin got "overwhelmed" and fell asleep on his sister's bed.
They have to pave their own way
Though Kelly Ripa's kids grew up on her high salary – not to mention their famous father Mark Consuelos' no-doubt impressive finances — Ripa wants them to work for their money. When her oldest son, Michael, left for college, she told Jimmy Kimmel, "He hates paying his own rent, and he is chronically poor."
When her daughter got to college, she seemed to find a way around this. "We signed her up for a meal program," Ripa, who herself eats well each day, explained on her talk show (via USA Today), adding, "But, you know, she doesn't like the meals at school, so she was ordering Postmates." When Ripa saw this on her bank statement, she immediately cut her off. "We shut down that debit card account she had!" she said, as reported by People.
Overall, Ripa wants her kids to work for what they want, just like she and her husband did to break into the acting business. When her son Michael's acting career was taking off, her then-co-host Ryan Seacrest offered him a place to stay in Hollywood, but she wouldn't allow it. "That's too nice," Ripa told him. "You need to struggle."
Their mom wants them to learn Spanish
When Lola Consuelos was in high school, Kelly Ripa admitted that Spanish was not her daughter's strongest subject. However, the teen had to get good grades in the class, especially with her father being of Latino descent. Ripa would say to her, "You're half Mexican," as she explained on "The Wendy Williams Show." She continued, saying, "Your grandmother is a Spanish teacher. You're not allowed to fail Spanish. It's the one thing you're not allowed to do."
However, Lola's father, actor Mark Consuelos, had a confession to make. "I don't speak Spanish," he told "Recap Rewind." "I'm Mexican and Italian. I was born in Spain, but my mom's Italian, and we moved to Italy soon after that. I think I was in Spain for two weeks, and my first language is Italian, so when I do try to speak Spanish, it always comes out a little wonky."
The actor admitted he learned a lot more Spanish since playing his Latino character on "Riverdale," but it probably would be even more helpful to both him and his daughter if they became Spanish study buddies!
Joaquin struggled with dyslexia and dysgraphia
While learning any foreign language can be difficult, learning a language while battling dyslexia can be even more of a struggle. This reading disorder, along with dysgraphia, is something that Kelly Ripa's youngest son, Joaquin, has dealt with his entire life. "School has always been a very, very big challenge for us in our household," Ripa admitted on her show, as reported by PopSugar. However, when she started sending their son to a school that specializes in helping those with dyslexia, they saw immediate changes. "He's getting straight A's," she said.
During a 2021 episode of her daytime talk show, Ripa opened up about how emotional she and husband Mark Consuelos became when Joaquin was deciding on which college to attend of the several that had accepted him. "Mark and I were FaceTiming the other night," Ripa told viewers (via New York Daily News). "Mark got very emotional and very choked up because he said, 'You know, I never thought he would be able to go to college.' Because he was profoundly dyslexic and dysgraphic."
As Ripa explained, not only had her son overcome those learning disorders, but they'd actually strengthened his abilities in various other areas. "Kids with dyslexia learn how to read the room, they pick up on social cues," she said. "Their other skills become [stronger]."
Their mom enjoys embarrassing them
Anyone who watches an episode of "Live" will frequently see the oh-so-honest Kelly Ripa telling stories about her kids, and quite often she enjoys divulging some very embarrassing stories about them.
For instance, when it was time for Lola's high school holiday concert, her school's choir director invited parents up on stage to sing the chorus. Ripa explained on her show how she tried to get her husband to go up with her. "I said, 'Mark, let's do it! Let's storm the stage!' He's like, 'She would die,'" Ripa laughed. "I go, 'I know!'" Another time, Ripa made her teenage daughter answer the front door early one day only to discover that Nick Jonas was on the other side. "Lola turns and starts screaming, 'How can you have me open the door when you know I look rachet?'" Ripa said.
Most mothers love sharing these types of hilarious stories with their close friends. Unfortunately for Kelly Ripa's kids, their embarrassing stories get shared with the nation. However, the mother of three is just proud to show off her children. "Our kids — well, they're our hearts," she told WebMD.
They grew up with an awareness of paparazzi
It's safe to say that as the children of celebrities, Kelly Ripa's three kids didn't have childhoods that would be considered typical by most. In that respect, one big element that the average child didn't have to contend with was the constant presence of paparazzi photographers attempting to snap photos of them when they were out in public with their parents.
During an interview on her mom's podcast, "Let's Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa," Lola Consuelos recalled paparazzi being a constant presence in her childhood; however, she said she never considered it to be that big of a deal. "I was very aware of it," Lola said. "But you always told us something else. Like when you'd pick us up when we'd walk home from school, I'd be like, there's people taking photos of us. And you'd be like, 'They're taking photos of the birds.'" Even as a little kid, Lola admitted that she never bought her mom's explanation, but eventually came to realize that because her parents consciously didn't draw attention to the photographers, she and her brothers were able to mostly ignore them.
According to Ripa, the paparazzi were an unfortunate fact of life that they were all forced to deal with. "You were born at a time when the tabloid press was really hard on me," Ripa told her daughter. "And therefore, they were hard on you guys too."
Lola walked in on her parents having sex — more than once
Kelly Ripa and husband Mark Consuelos have made no secret of their highly active sex life. Unfortunately for their daughter, Lola, she's witnessed that firsthand. As Ripa remembered during an episode of her "Let's Talk Off Camera" podcast, that was the case when she and her husband were enjoying some special grown-up time together during a family vacation in Italy. While the spouses were getting it on, Ripa sensed someone else in the room. "All I know is, at a certain point, I made eye contact with my 8-year-old daughter who is standing at the foot of the bed," Ripa said.
Eight years later to the day, Ripa's daughter — on the date of her 16th birthday — similarly walked in on parents. Once again, she caught them in the act. This time, though, she reacted with significantly more alarm. "This time she said, 'Oh my God, oh my God, life is over! I used to see in color and now everything is gray. How could you do this to me? On my birthday? What is wrong with you people?'" Ripa recalled on "Live."
When Lola moved back home after college, Ripa specifically warned her to always knock before entering their bedroom. "Because at this point, anything you walk in on is your problem," Ripa quipped during a 2023 episode of "Live with Kelly and Ryan."
Lola warned her mom to avoid getting pregnant
Having inadvertently experienced an unanticipated familiarity with her parents' lovemaking, Lola Consuelos got in the habit of issuing a comedic warning whenever her mom and dad prepared to embark on a romantic vacation together. "What's so funny is every time I go away now, my daughter is like, 'Don't get pregnant,' which is very funny because my daughter is so provocative," Ripa revealed during a 2023 edition of her "Let's Talk Off Camera" podcast.
Ripa also shared the response she tends to give her daughter after receiving that particular tidbit of cautionary advice. "I was like, 'Yeah, don't worry — don't you get pregnant, how about that?'" Ripa said. Ripa may have laughed off her daughter's vacation warnings, but she's also well aware that there's a big kernel of truth lurking beneath the surface. "You gotta be careful with those away trips," Ripa acknowledged. "That's how babies are made!"
They may have blocked their parents on social media
Parents will often check out the social media posts of their offspring in order to get a glimpse at what they're up to when there's an absence of parental supervision. That's not the case for Kelly Ripa, though, as she revealed in an interview with E! News in 2023.
"I'm pretty sure they've blocked us," Ripa said. "When you have a news feed and it says, 'Suggest more or suggest this, like this or block this channel,' I'm certain they have blocked any channel with any mention of our names. Just like they block us on social media. They block us any way they can."
In fact, Ripa is pretty certain that her kids aren't following her and husband Mark Consuelos on their respective social media accounts — and she joked that they may not even know that the couple began hosting "Live" together. "They don't really pay attention to what we're doing," Ripa said. "They're just happy that mom and dad are finding ways to pass the time since they've left the house."
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos supported their son Michael when he couldn't find a job after graduation
Kelly Ripa's oldest son, Michael Consuelos, graduated college in 2020 in the midst of a tough job market and a worldwide pandemic. That, Ripa explained during a 2022 episode of "Live with Kelly and Ryan," impacted the plans that were in place for him after graduation. "I know that Michael graduated college in ... May of 2020 and he had a writing job lined up, which evaporated because the pandemic shut down the production and it just never came back," she said, referring to a TV writing gig he had lined up. "We gave him a grace period of an additional year to find other job opportunities, because it's hard," she added.
That said, Ripa also explained why she and husband Mark Consuelos remained adamant that their kids be gainfully employed after graduating college, and that living with mom and dad for years after that is simply not going to happen. "Because we were married at 25, you know what I mean? " Ripa said. "And we feel like because we didn't have safety nets, we got something cooking."
By 2024, however, the couple still weren't completely off the hook when it came to supporting their kids financially — but it was on the horizon. 'We're so close," Ripa said in a later episode of "Live with Kelly and Mark." "We can taste it! We can taste the financial freedom."
They vacationed with their parents and significant others
The three children of Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are no longer kids — all three are now grown adults with partners of their own. That came into play when the couple were joined by their kids for a vacation in late 2023, which they discussed during a January 2024 episode of "Live with Kelly and Mark."
As Consuelos pointed out, as chronicled by People, each of their offspring brought along "their significant others. That was really weird!" When Ripa asked if that was really how he felt, he backed down. "No, it was great, it was great," he admitted, with both confirming that their kids appear to have excellent taste when it comes to choosing partners. "The boys brought their girlfriends, Lola brought her boyfriend," Ripa explained. However, she said she wasn't entirely certain that the whole thing would work out as well as it did.
"We didn't know how it was going to go, you know what I mean? You just don't know," Ripa said of vacationing with their kids and their partners. "Everybody seems nice when you have dinner with them, but how's it going to go?" she said, but confirmed it all went swimmingly. "It was so nice," she gushed.
Michael and Joaquin have crushes on Sharon Stone – and Kelly Ripa approves
While Kelly Ripa seemed perfectly happy about the choices her sons made when selecting girlfriends, if she had it her way one of them would become involved with screen star Sharon Stone.
That's right, Ripa would love to play matchmaker for the "Basic Instinct" star with one of her sons, something she revealed when Stone guested on Ripa's "Let's Talk Off Camera" podcast. In fact, Ripa told Stone that both of her sons have long crushed on her. "They are not similar in any way," Ripa told Stone of her sons. "They disagree on everything except the hotness of Sharon Stone."
Ripa laid her cards on the table, offering up her oldest son, Michael, for Stone's consideration. "Sharon, I could set you up with my son right now," Ripa declared. "He's 26. I would love for you to be my daughter-in-law. That would be the greatest honor of our family."
None of the kids are fans of how their parents eat
When Mark Consuelos joined Kelly Ripa as guest host of a 2022 episode of "Live with Kelly and Ryan," they confirmed that their children found them utterly disgusting. The reason, Ripa explained, was because of their parents' table manners.
"Our kids get very grossed out by us in general, but especially when we are eating, they are sickened by us," she divulged. "And I'm not sure why that is, but they are disgusted by our eating — they make fun of my eating a lot," Ripa added. Consuelos conceded that he had noticed the criticism the kids offered toward her eating habits, but offered an explanation. "You have a very interesting way of eating food," he said.
Consuelos then went on to describe his wife's very specific method of picking up food with her hands and then stuffing it into her mouth. "You stick all three fingers, the tips of all three fingers, into your mouth," he said, offering viewers a vivid demonstration that certainly allowed an understanding of their kids' point of view.