The 9 Saddest Things About Kelly Ripa
Kelly Ripa may be a chatty ray of sunshine day after day after day on "Live with Kelly and Ryan" (which has undergone quite a few different name changes over the years), but Ripa's seemingly glamorous life isn't necessarily as picture-perfect as it may seem on screen.
The star has been pretty vocal about, well, pretty much every aspect of her professional and personal life over the years, letting "Live" viewers and her social media followers in on some of her most intimate moments (seriously, how could we forget that sizzling 2021 swimsuit Instagram shot that showed the star bending over in front of her shirtless husband, Mark Consuelos?) — but this star hasn't just been vocal about good things. From her candid discussions about depression, to a slew of difficult family health emergencies, these are some of the saddest things about the popular daytime talk show host's life that really show us the incredibly strong woman she really is.
Kelly Ripa's experience with depression
Kelly Ripa has been vocal about her experience with mental health issues, no more than in her candid 2022 book, "Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories." In the memoir, Ripa bravely shared how she experienced depression in the earlier days of her career and recounted a heartbreaking conversation she had with a therapist. "I almost always wake up crying at the thought of having to go to work. I feel like I'm in physical pain. My hair hurts. I have no energy at all. I'm very easily distracted. When I'm playing with my kids, I feel like I've forgotten to do something at work, and when I'm at work, I feel like I've forgotten to do something for my kids. I cry in the shower. I cry myself to sleep. I cry backstage. I sometimes want to cry in the middle of the show. Sometimes I feel like I can't breathe," she told the therapist.
She also spoke to Washington Post Live in October 2022 about her experience with mental health issues and how much therapy helped her to learn how to cope with difficult or stressful situations. "I really sought therapy as a way to sort of deal with the stress and learn how to manage my own anxiety and learn different breathing techniques [and] meditation techniques," she explained, sharing she learned to ask herself questions about the worst thing that could happen and then realize that life would continue on no matter what.
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
Kelly Ripa had a tough time advancing in her career
In a tale that unfortunately seems all too familiar in Hollywood, Kelly Ripa had a difficult time during her early days on the show then known as "Live with Regis and Kelly" — and she believes it's because she's a woman. "At that time, a pre–#metoo #timesup time, a pre-women belong in the room where decisions are being made time, I. Was. Miserable," she wrote in "Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories." She also claimed to People in September 2022 that her co-star, Regis Philbin, didn't exactly make her feel the most welcome when she landed her headline gig, joking about her bringing an entourage of two hair and makeup people on her first day. "I don't want to feel like I'm slamming anyone or that I'm being disrespectful. But I also want people to know it was not a cakewalk. It took years to earn my place there and earn things that are routinely given to the men I worked with. Including an office and a place to put my computer," she said.
Things were so tough for the star that she admitted on "Not Skinny But Not Fat" in October 2022 she would never have signed on the dotted line if she knew how much drama the show would bring to her life as a busy mom. "If I had known going in, I wouldn't have done it. And how sad for me. Luckily, ignorance is bliss," she said.
An ovarian cyst fiasco sent Kelly Ripa to the emergency room
Though ovarian cysts can be quite common, Kelly Ripa had a difficult experience with one that we're hoping isn't all too common. The star opened up in her book, "Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories," about a time she had, erm, just finished getting intimate with her husband, Mark Consuelos, in 1997 when her ovarian cysts ruptured, and she passed out. Explaining that her vision started to get fuzzy as she felt herself losing consciousness, she recalled, "I'm flat on my back, wondering when the other two cysts will burst." Ripa then woke up in the hospital to find Consuelos hadn't exactly chosen the best attire for her to wear, jokingly describing herself as looking like "a dime store prostitute" because of how he dressed her in a rush to get her help.
Thankfully, Ripa was able to laugh about the incident when she recalled it years later and even set the record straight after one outlet claimed the whole incident happened at Jimmy Buffett's house and caused her to nearly die. Denying those extremes and confirming she was just fine after the incident, she told her co-host Ryan Seacrest on "Live with Kelly and Ryan" in September 2022 (via People), "I sent Ryan an article because his knee hurt and I said, 'I'll make you feel better.'"
Linda Ripa survived a horrific car accident
Kelly Ripa's family experienced an unimaginable tragedy in 1999 when her sister, Linda Ripa, got into a serious car accident while seven months pregnant. Linda told The New York Times that she suffered horrific injuries, including multiple broken and crushed bones, while her unborn son was sent into a coma as a result of the trauma because of the way Linda's pelvis had been mangled. Making things even tougher for Linda, she decided not to take the pain medication medical professionals offered her because of the harm they could potentially cause to her unborn baby. Thankfully, Linda's son, Sergio-Giuseppe, was born healthy following the accident but around seven weeks early.
Kelly has spoken out about how Linda's terrifying road incident impacted the Ripa family and even shared how her family coped during Linda's court case after she filed a lawsuit against a surgeon who botched one of her operations. Kelly explained in 2001 that her parents had stepped up to raise Sergio-Giuseppe while Linda couldn't, but was also tasked with the difficult job of taking care of their daughter at the same time. "My mother is a 24-hour-a-day nurse to my sister," the "Live with Kelly and Ryan" star, per New York Post. "[Linda] will never, ever know a normal life again. And there's nothing they can do." Linda was eventually awarded $15 million in 2004.
A close connection to cancer
Linda Ripa hasn't been the only member of the Ripa family dealing with some health issues. Kelly's mom, Esther Ripa, is a cancer survivor, with the TV personality sharing with Yahoo! in 2011 that both Esther and her husband Mark Consuelos' mom, Camilla Consuelos, both having overcome the disease. Kelly has since been very involved with raising awareness and funds for cancer charities, including supporting the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund following another personal tragedy. "A close friend and neighbor of mine growing up died when she was younger than I am now of ovarian cancer, and she never really even knew she was sick. She never knew she had the disease until it was too late," she shared.
In addition to her cancer diagnosis, Kelly's mom also had a heart procedure in September 2022, with Kelly giving an update on her recovery on "Live with Kelly and Ryan." Kelly shared that her mom was, thankfully, doing well following the series surgery, adding (via ET), "I got to tell you something, until you — and all people go through this, and you don't really realize what gems hospital workers are."
Kelly Ripa's plethora of difficult self-diagnoses
Kelly Ripa hasn't been afraid to speak out about things she finds more difficult in the world, as well as sharing her struggle with what she described in her book, "Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories," as "a severe case of social anxiety disorder." Ripa explained how her concern affects her daily life, sharing, "I tend to say awkward or inappropriate things when under duress. People think that because I'm an extrovert on television, I am one in real life. Surprise. That's why they call it acting." She also explained to "Washington Post Live" in October 2022 that therapy helped her get her anxiety under control. "There are high-functioning people that have so much anxiety in their lives, and the way that people choose to deal with it — I mean, there are so many different ways people choose to deal with it," she shared, confessing that she didn't think she had the skills to cope with her daily life pre-therapy. "So, my tools were to allow my brain to consume itself and for me to work myself into a state of terror."
But that's not the only struggle Ripa faces on a daily basis. Ripa also shared in her memoir that she'd self-diagnosed herself with a slew of other conditions, which she was worried may have impacted her children. Amongst the things the star believes she may have? Low-functioning borderline personality disorder, ADHD, agoraphobia, narcissism, and what she described as unchecked ego-maniacal grandiosity.
A devastating death left Kelly Ripa shattered
Kelly Ripa was left devastated when her former "All My Children" co-star, John Callahan, died in March 2020. She first shared her heartbreak on Instagram in a since-deleted post, sharing a photo of Callahan with his former wife, Eva LaRue, while she was expecting their daughter, Kaya Callahan. "Because there are no words, all I can muster is Rest In Peace #johncallahan. My heart breaks for you @evalarue and @kaya_callahan," she captioned the upload (via AmoMama).
Ripa then got candid about her heartbreak on "Live with Kelly and Ryan," telling her co-host Ryan Seacrest, "I had a really bad weekend this weekend." She opened up about just how close she was with her fellow actor, as she told the world just close she was with John and his family, revealing that Eva is her son Michael Consuelos' godmother. "He was a great actor, a really good friend. One of the funniest people I've ever met. He was 66 years old, way too young to be taken from us," Ripa shared. The emotional star continued by sharing that Callahan's daughter is great friends with her daughter, adding, "I just want everyone to know, Eva and Kaya, that we are thinking of you, and we are just so sad and devastated." A glass-eyed Ripa apologized to viewers if she didn't seem quite with it during the show due to her grief, stating, "I'm terribly out of it. You know, forgive me for it."
Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa's rollercoaster journey with their son
Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa are proud parents to three children, Michael Consuelos, Lola Consuelos, and Joaquin Consuelos, and they've been on quite the emotional journey with Joaquin, their youngest son when it comes to his education. Ripa opened up about the worry they had for years with him, sharing they were concerned he may never be able to attend college due to his dyslexia. Only, thankfully, the couple's concerns were unfounded, as the host confirmed in 2021 that Joaquin had defied the odds. "Joaquin is trying to decide on a college right now, and he's got lots of options," Ripa proudly told fans on "Live with Kelly and Ryan" (via People), discussing a touching video call she had with Mark about their son's future. "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," Ripa explained, sharing Joaquin had overcome the odds "through hard work, determination, [and] remediation."
Ripa previously opened up about Joaquin's learning difficulties on the show in 2017 when she and Seacrest shared an emotional moment. "A lot of you that watch the show know he has dyslexia, so school has always been a very big challenge for us in our household," she shared (via Us Weekly), getting teary as she showed how proud she was that Joaquin had managed to score all A's.
Kelly Ripa's constant guilt
As a working mom, Kelly Ripa has admitted she constantly feels guilty trying to balance life as a TV personality and a doting mom to her and Mark Consuelos' three children. "Guilt for me is something that I still struggle with. I always feel guilty. I think every working mother does have that guilt about failing in some way," Ripa told Yahoo! in 2011 of her constant battle, explaining she's learned a few coping skills over the years to help her. "But the way I've learned to sort of balance it is just by knowing that I'm going to fail everybody a little bit every day. Nobody's going to get hurt," she said. "So I just have to sort of relieve myself of feeling the pressure to do everything perfectly every day."
Ripa touched on her struggles again over a decade later in her book, "Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories," admitting she particularly found it tough in the earlier days of her career as what mothers needed in the workplace wasn't really considered. "Probably because that would have been met with scorn and a possible demotion or pay decrease," she shared. As a result, Ripa said she learned to push the guilt of missing school events way down. But she probably put it best when sharing her parenting tips with WebMD, "I'm a flawed parent, but I work hard. I feel for all parents because we're all learning as we go."