These 10 Kelly Ripa Interviews Still Cast A Shadow Over Her Reputation

Having hosted America's favorite syndicated morning show with the likes of Regis Philbin, Michael Strahan, Ryan Seacrest, and, of course, her husband Mark Consuelos since 2001, Kelly Ripa has interviewed thousands of guests from all parts of the celebrity world. And while most of them have gone without a hitch, there have been at least a near-dozen which didn't exactly show the former soap opera favorite in the best light.

Who can forget how she caused a media kerfuffle with her reaction to guest Howie Mandel's 70th birthday, for example? Or how she's thrown shade at almost every contestant from "The Bachelor" franchise with the bravery to grace the "Live with Kelly and ... " studio. And then there was the time that she offended every pit bull owner in the country while quizzing a Hollywood legend. Here's a closer look at those that still cast a shadow over her reputation.

Having given multiple contestants a hard time over the years, it seems fair to say that Kelly Ripa isn't a fan of "The Bachelor" and its numerous spinoffs. Just ask Arie Luyendyk Jr., the Dutch-American racing driver who headed to the "Live with Kelly and Ryan" studio shortly after his stint on the 22nd season wrapped up.

Ripa sure didn't hold back when the leading man, who was joined by his "lucky lady" Lauren Burnham, sat down for a post-After the Rose chat. "I wanna understand everything — your thought process, what's wrong with you," the co-host said (via Marie Claire), going in on the attack almost immediately. "What are you thinking, how did this happen, were you as shady as I think you are now?"

Of course, many "The Bachelor" fans equally disdainful of Luyendyk Jr.'s behavior on the show were delighted with Ripa's line of questioning. The man himself, however, not so much. "I was always a fan of hers until I was the bachelor," he commented on a Us Weekly Instagram post about another Ripa/Bachelor spat several years later. "Felt like I had my back against the wall whenever I was being interviewed by her." Here's a look at some other celebrities who can't stand Ripa.

Kelly Ripa once again incurred the wrath of "The Bachelor" fanhood in 2024 when she got a little tetchy with Jenn Tran on "Live with Kelly and Mark." The latter, who'd been the leading lady on the 21st season of "The Bachelorette," had been asked about why she decided to try and find 'the one' on a prime-time TV dating show. And her answer wasn't exactly appreciated.

"I have a question: When did you meet your husband? ... On TV, no?" Tran queried (via the New York Post), referring to the fact that Ripa had first been introduced to husband and co-host Mark Consuelos when they were both shooting daytime soap "All My Children." Insisting the two experiences weren't comparable, the presenter responded, "We were both professional. Are you acting on your show? I didn't marry [Mark's character] Mateo Santos. I married Mark Consuelos."

While you could have cut the tension with a knife at the time, Tran later insisted that it was all just harmless banter. However, several other names from "The Bachelor" universe were keen to fire back at Ripa. Season 20 leading man Ben Higgins, for example, wondered aloud on the podcast "Trading Secrets" about the possible reason for her disdain. "I don't know if they, like, denied her the 'Bachelorette' role at some point," he joked.

Audience participation appears to be a big no-no when it comes to Kelly Ripa's daytime chat shows. In 2025, she and husband Mark Consuelos welcomed "Law and Order: Organized Crime" star Christopher Meloni to their stage. And one slightly overenthusiastic member of the studio crowd suddenly decided to get involved in the conversation, too.

"My wife and I went down to the Dominican Republic," Meloni began his anecdote (via E! News). "We were at this beautiful restaurant overlooking a jungle, without a light. There was no [light]. It's not built up, no one's there." Before he got the chance to expand on the story, however, an off-screen fan chimed in, "Where was it?"

After joking that he wasn't going to reveal the secret, Ripa also turned to the interview gatecrasher to put them in their place. "We'll handle the questions, ma'am," she said matter-of-factly. That seemed to do the trick, and the discussion, in which Meloni gushed about reuniting on screen with Mariska Hargitay and the experience of directing, went on uninterrupted.

Kelly Ripa's attempt to compliment Howie Mandel on his 70th birthday backfired in 2026 when the "America's Got Talent" judge might have interpreted it as shade. And his irritable reaction ensured that the interview dominated the day's discourse, too.

The "Live with Kelly and Mark" drama began when Ripa said (via Fox News) that Mandel's age "doesn't make any sense," a comment designed to flatter the comedian for his youthful appearance. It sure wasn't taken in the spirit it was intended, though. "I don't like that," he fired back. "I look great? That doesn't mean anything to me. No, no, no, no. I don't like that, because that's a caveat." As Ripa, with a little help from her other half Mark Consuelos, desperately tried to clarify the remark, their guest added, "It's like saying you're smart for a stupid person."

Mandel later claimed in an Instagram Reel that he hadn't been offended at all and that his reaction was simply a joke which had also got lost in translation. Giving a somewhat begrudging apology, he continued, "Sometimes, as a comedian, things don't land the way you mean them to land. And I don't know how to say this, but not only do I want to say I'm sorry to Kelly. But this is the hardest part ... you're right. You're absolutely right."

In 2012, Kelly Ripa interviewed Hollywood veteran Christopher Walken about his role in "Seven Psychopaths," a comedic thriller in which a gangster's beloved canine is kidnapped. And she seemed thoroughly surprised that the animal in question was a Shih Tzu, adding (via CBS News), "I mean if it's a gangster, it would have to be a dangerous, uh, pit bull kind of dog, right?"

The seemingly innocuous "Live with Kelly and Michael" chat prompted several celebrity pitbull owners to give Ripa a piece of their mind. "The Big Bang Theory" star Kaley Cuoco, who not only owns several of the breed, but also partnered with Angel City Pit Bulls for a PSA, was the first to express her disappointment. "I really hope Kelly didn't say what I think she said this am regarding pit bulls," she tweeted along with the hashtag "#Please don't be true."

Co-star Wil Wheaton also backed Cuoco up, tweeting, "I'm not a gangster. My friend [Cuoco] is not a gangster. My dog Seamus is not dangerous. [Ripa] couldn't be more wrong. I hope [she] will do some research, spend some time with a pit bull, and correct the misleading impression she gave millions of people."

While being interviewed herself alongside her then-co-host Ryan Seacrest on "Watch What Happens Live" in 2017, Kelly Ripa was quizzed by a member of the public about the most embarrassing interview moment with a celebrity. More than happy to answer, the former soap opera favorite recalled a particular conversation with Glenn Close which left her both red-faced and heading to the nearest optometrist.

Ripa recalled the occasion when she misread a cue card, leaving both the multiple Oscar nominee and the audience baffled as a result: "The reason I have glasses is because, and it goes back some time, Glenn Close was on the show, and I asked her how long she had been the mayor of Connecticut," she admitted (via Best Life).

"And she looked at me and said, 'What the hell are you talking about?'" Ripa added. "And I said, 'I don't know, I know you're not the mayor of Connecticut, but I can't see what the card says.'" Both Seacrest and interviewer Andy Cohen described the faux pas as great TV, and the fact that Close has headed back to the "Live with Kelly and ..." show multiple times suggests she agrees.

Kelly Ripa might have named asking Glenn Close how she enjoyed being the Mayor of Connecticut as her most embarrassing interviewing moment. But being unable to tell the difference between Jimmy Fallon and his 12-year-old child Winnie must surely have come a close second.

After welcoming the late-night host onto "Live with Kelly and Mark" in 2025, talk turned to the father-daughter bonding trips he'd recently enjoyed, including a rock-climbing session at New York's Mohonk Mountain House. After a picture of the excursion was shown on screen, Ripa responded (via Hello!), "Oh my gosh! Look at her go!" However, Fallon had to quickly point out that the daredevil in question was, in fact, him.

"What do you mean, 'look at her go?' That's her," a faux-offended Fallon replied once a picture of the real Winnie popped up. Ripa's husband and co-host Mark Consuelos also couldn't resist poking fun at the faux pas, adding, "You have very nice legs, Jimmy!" And the show's producers also got mischievous, flashing the same photo up again moments later. "I'm a 51-year-old man," Fallon said. "Get that picture off! I don't want to see it. I don't shave my legs. I have hair." Here's a look at other media moments Fallon can never erase.

A year before she chided a member for interrupting her conversation with "Law and Order: Organized Crime" star Christopher Meloni, the former "All My Children" star also branded the entire lot a "bunch of pervs."

The outburst came while Ripa was interviewing Nicola Coughlan, who was promoting her role as Penelope Featherington in period drama "Bridgerton," on "Live with Kelly and Mark." "I wanted to move a little differently this season," the Irish actor said (via Entertainment Weekly). "She's a bit more womanly, she's got to move her hips a little bit."

Following the audience's enthusiastic response to this revelation, Ripa said, "Calm down, you Gen Z perverts." But she didn't exactly help matters herself when she brought up the third season's amount of sex scenes. "I think it's probably the steamiest one yet," Coughlan stated much to the crowd's audible delight, once again prompting the co-host to call them out.

Shopping expert Monica Mangin no doubt thought she was in for a fun segment when she was interviewed by Kelly Ripa on her morning chat show for a piece on the latest bargain clothes. Instead, she ended up appearing to offend the former soap opera favorite.

"It just feels so good, it's seamless and it's stretchy, and there's no underwire, and it holds you in just right," Mangin gushed (via The Sun) about a purple-colored undergarment known as the Ahh Bra. "It also has a different type of sizing. You basically just order the size of the shirt that you wear. So you don't have to worry about 36D, 36C, A, negative A, whatever."

Ripa, who was joined by husband Mark Consuelos for the chat, didn't take too kindly to Mangin's line of vision. "Why did you look at me when you said negative A?" she said. Trying to defuse the situation, the contributor responded, "I didn't, and that doesn't even exist." Perhaps wisely, the trio quickly moved on to men's clothes instead.

Kelly Ripa is renowned for sharing a little too much infostrangest thing about their marriagermation about her relationship with co-host and husband Mark Consuelos on their syndicated daytime hit. And she's also been similarly candid on several occasions while being interviewed herself.

Take her 2025 guest appearance on podcast "Not Skinny But Not Fat," for example, when she opened up about her marital sex life (which isn't the strangest thing about their marriage). "I find it disgusting," she revealed (via E! News), referring to her other half's penchant for bedroom action soon after waking up. "The greatest thing about this job," she said about their daily TV duties. "This thing has almost repulsed him from morning time during the work week — which is like a miracle."

Three years earlier, Ripa had also gotten revealing for a segment named "Have You Schtupped There?" on "Watch What Happens Live." Indeed, the former soap opera star admitted that she and Consuelos had done the deed in a public bathroom, on a boat, and even while filming "All My Children." She also said that they'd yet to do so in the dressing room of a department store, in a car while heading to a function, or, as viewers will no doubt be pleased to know, on the set of "Live with Kelly and Mark."