Inappropriate Outfits Kelly Ripa Has Been Caught Wearing

Our girl Kelly Ripa capitalized on a career in soap operas to become a major media mogul, beloved for her high energy and adorable banter. In 2014, back when Ripa was co-hosting with Michael Strahan on "Live With Kelly and Michael," she was named her one of the most powerful people in media. That statistic has only grown with her exposure and the "Live with Kelly and Mark" show.

Ripa's also a powerhouse thanks to her marriage to soap opera hunk Mark Consuelos. The two co-founded the production company Milojo, which specializes in documentaries and scripted projects. Not only do they collaborate in an executive way, but they've also made headlines for their long-running marriage. Consuelos had a special gift made for their wedding anniversary, and Ripa immediately shuts down any bizarre rumors about Consuelos. Ripa even celebrated their marriage by getting a tattoo of their wedding date, so they're obviously in it for the long haul.

Part of Ripa's appeal is how adorable she is, and her fashion choices are usually big hits with fans. Unfortunately, with so many eyes on her and so much exposure, it's inevitable that she's had a few wardrobe malfunctions and some outfits that have raised eyebrows. But frankly, considering how great she looks, there's nothing to be embarrassed about.

Sometimes, it's not clear that a particular look has veered into the realm of inappropriate attire until it's given a second glance, which may have been the case for Kelly Ripa's surprisingly spicy stylings at the 2025 Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame Awards gala. Ripa and Mark Consuelos were attending the event in support of longtime "Live" producer Michael Gelman, who was being inducted into the Hall of Fame after having worked on the show in its myriad iterations dating back to the 1980s, when Regis Philbin was hosting and it was known as "The Morning Show." While it was Gelman's big night, though, Ripa may have stolen the show with what would have been an office-ready blazer-and-slacks combination if not for the plunging, sheer, lace top she wore beneath her jacket.

Tessa Petak of InStyle described the revealing outfit as "business on top, party underneath," an apt line for an ensemble that managed to be both refined and risqué simultaneously. In any case, Ripa pulled it off and did her best to honor Gelman at the event, speaking with reverence and humor as she officially inducted her longtime co-worker. Still, her look definitely made a lasting impression.

Kelly Ripa had a little wardrobe whoops-a-daisy back in June 2008 when she was hosting with Regis Philbin on "Live! With Regis and Kelly." She was wearing a white top with a short, black skirt, and Ripa was candid about having a malfunction. Philbin was in on it too. "We have a malfunction here," he said. Looking back at his co-host's skirt, Philbin added, "And it's fun. I'm enjoying it." Ripa paused for dramatic effect and rolled her eyes.

"My zipper has betrayed me," she said. "My zipper is broken. I'm going to blame — I don't know — I'm going to blame the cleaner." Philbin offered to help her, and Ripa did take him up on it, hamming it up for the camera. "It's beyond repair," Philbin added. "If I can't fix it, nobody can."

Some fans found the exchange really funny. "They have a good relationship, these two ... it was good to see them being funny, naughty but professional at the same time!" one viewer commented. Another person mused, "I wonder if it ever got fixed." For someone else, the exchange was uncomfortable and definitely part of a bygone era, one that we don't miss. "Could you imagine that going on in 2020?" someone asked. It certainly was an unusual event.

A watershed moment came in April 2023 when Ryan Seacrest officially stepped down from his role as co-host of "Live." Seacrest brought co-host Kelly Ripa and himself to tears in the process. Mere days later, Seacrest was replaced by Kelly Ripa's husband, actor Mark Consuelos. However, "Live with Kelly and Mark" got off to an inauspicious start when, on one of the first shows featuring the husband-and-wife tandem as co-hosts, Ripa suffered a wardrobe malfunction during a dancing segment. "Dancing with the Stars" pros Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson were attempting to teach Ripa and Consuelos how to perform the jive when the latter spun the former around and down over his knee — and a portion of Ripa's dress suddenly gave way. 

In a clip of the incident, both Ripa and Consuelos burst into laughter instantly. "Did my entire back of my dress rip open?" Ripa asked as she found her feet, to which Consuelos replied, "Nope, just a little bit. You're fine." He then pointed to one of the waist ties that had come loose. Ripa then joked that she was actually wearing a "breakaway dress." Although the wardrobe malfunction could have been worse, it was a less-than-ideal development as the couple was working to establish a new, on-air dynamic for the iconic show. Nevertheless, Ripa and Consuelos continued with the segment, performing a full routine to Lizzo's "2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)," torn dress and all.

When Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest walked on stage for a 2021 episode of "Live With Kelly and Ryan," Ripa looked unreal in a blue and white Reformation dress. The dress, which is pretty much an art installation, costs $248 and features long sleeves with a cinched waist. The only racy part, if we can even call it that, is a thigh-high slit that adds a playful element to the otherwise conservative look.

While walking out, Ripa's leg slit rode up, and she had to catch it before it climbed any higher. She also took precautions when getting into her chair so that the side of the dress didn't open too much. In her usual good-natured manner, Ripa opened the show with a joke about her near-wardrobe malfunction. "It is Monday, October 18, 2021," she began, as seen in an Instagram clip. "It is let your leg slit rise all the way up day," she joked. 

But most fans didn't see anything wrong with the near slip. "I thought the dress looked very nice on her and very cheerful," another person added. Others, however, thought it wasn't appropriate for a morning talk show. "Too much leg! Wear that at evening events!" one of her followers commented. However, the group consensus was that Ripa and her killer legs looked great.

We know that Kelly Ripa is a good sport about her wardrobe malfunctions and the odd clap-backs she gets about things being too tight, so much so that she beats us to the punch when it comes to teasing about them. To celebrate bestie Carrie Ann Inaba's birthday, Ripa appeared on "The Talk" and shared a throwback photo where Ripa's red thong made an appearance. 

Ripa and Inaba were on live TV filming a cooking segment in Hawaii when they took a moment to sample some of the food. While Ripa's hands were otherwise engaged, the wind blew her adorable purple dress up before she could catch it, and viewers got a glimpse of her underwear. Ripa joked about Inaba's preparedness compared to her own. "We were on set, and because she knows Hawaii so well, she knows that it gets breezy there," Ripa said (via Hello!). "I just look at the temperature, like 'Oh it's 97 degrees I better wear this dress made out of paper mache.'"

What makes us love Ripa so much is how chill she is about sharing these moments. Not only did she address the red thong on "The Talk," but she also shared a shot of the fateful occasion on a now-deleted Instagram post as a birthday tribute to Inaba. "At least you had underpants on!!" a fan commented. "Omg that underwear shot," another fan wrote. Clearly, a gusty breeze has a mind of its own!

We know that Kelly Ripa stays so fit thanks to an intense workout routine, so it's no surprise that she likes to flaunt the results of it every once in a while. On July 13, 2021, Ripa came out on "Live with Kelly and Ryan" in a skin-tight, pink pencil skirt. What caught everyone's attention was both her incredible outfit and the fact that Ripa swallowed down the wrong pipe and had a coughing fit before she could start talking. The candid moment was captured on Instagram with the caption, "We're live now!"

While fans are all over Ripa's outfit choices, even if they can get so tight that they make movement a bit cumbersome, her daughter has another take. Ripa and Mark Consuelos share daughter Lola Consuelos, and the parents told People that Lola will offer advice to her dad about how to put an outfit together. But when it comes to her mom, Ripa said that Lola doesn't go there. "She doesn't even bother with me," Ripa said. "She just feels that what I wear is embarrassing and awful. But then I think that means that I've gotten something right." Ripa then added, "I don't think your teenage daughters should like what you're wearing." Frankly, we can't say that we agree with Lola. Ripa has never looked awful once in her life, and especially not in that pink pencil skirt. 

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos know how to have fun together, and they love to share those moments with fans on social media. On October 3, 2021, Ripa posted a very cheeky shot on Instagram with a view of her backside in a bathing suit. A shirtless Consuelos is in the background in black swim trunks, and through Ripa's legs, musician Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters is growling at the camera.

Ripa captioned the photo, "Happy birthday [Jake Shears] thank you for letting us be a part of your new album's cover art. Coming soon!" A fan teased Ripa by commenting, "Nice back shot, Kelly." Other fans were more critical of the shot. "OMG can you guys keep your clothes on?" one person asked. "[I'm] not sure their kids will like this photo," another commenter wrote. 

Speaking of the couple's kids, this is by no means the first time that Ripa and Consuelos have posted thirst traps together, and during an interview with People, their daughter, Lola Consuelos, spoke to her mom about her Instagram presence. Lola's first problem was that her mom claps back at the haters. "But I just don't even think you should give them the time of day," Lola told her mom. "I mean these people are sitting at home wishing they were you."

On the September 16, 2021 episode of "Live with Kelly and Ryan," the show shared a behind-the-scenes clip of Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest walking to the stage on Instagram. Ripa was wearing black, flared trousers and a red blouse. Clearly, she had been complaining about her pants before they walked in front of the cameras because Seacrest asked if there was a "vulnerable spot." Ripa told Seacrest that "getting them on" was nearly impossible.

"Let's pray that they don't tear," Ripa said. She had her hands in her pockets and said, "Well, my hands are stuck in the pockets because my pants are too tight." Fans had Ripa's back, though. "Those pants didn't look too tight to me," someone wrote. "[Love] your pants," another person said, using a heart emoji.

Ripa spoke about her journey with fashion, specifically when it comes to pants, on another episode of "Live with Kelly and Ryan" when her hubby, Mark Consuelos, was subbing for Seacrest. They were talking about how the pandemic gave them time to purge their closets, and Ripa made the decision to get rid of her skinny jeans. "Do you know what I finally did? I finally parted with things that were just a pipe dream," Ripa shared, per People. "You know what I mean? Where you're like, 'I'm not doing it anymore? This is a thing of the past. This is never going to happen for me again and TikTok says it's inappropriate for me to wear these things.'"

When Kelly Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos attended the 96th annual Academy Awards in March 2024, they did so in full glam mode, turning heads with a black gown and classic tuxedo combo. And while both stars were looking their Instagram best, it was Ripa who made waves with a look that was arguably too hot for TV. Ripa, who was reportedly styled by Audrey Slater-Spiegel, was wearing a strapless, semi-sheer gown from Jason Wu that featured a long train. While the exposed shoulders, arms, and upper cleavage were standard fare for her frock style, the practically see-through material made the look spicier as it exposed the skimpy underwear she was sporting beneath the gown.

Ripa shared her and her husband's outfits with her fans with an Instagram snap that included the caption, "Mom and dad storming the red carpet. #Oscars." The post garnered more than 200,000 double-taps and had observers going wild in the comments. "She looks great. What she has on shows a lot less than a bikini," wrote one commenter. "No more than a bathing suit with a long jacket over it," opined a second respondent. Meanwhile, a third commenter rushed to Ripa's defense amid some less-than-sterling appraisals of the ensemble, writing, "Kelly looks gorgeous in that dress. It mostly covers her body [so] leave Kelly alone. It's not like she's showing her butt crack (remember Katy Perry?)"

The path to style purgatory is paved with good intentions, which Kelly Ripa probably had in spades when in early 2025 she decided to pay homage to Ariana Grande's character, Glinda, from the smash hit cinematic adaptation of "Wicked." The "Live with Kelly and Mark" host underwent a full-on hair, makeup, and wardrobe transformation to become Grande's Glinda, while Mark Consuelos dressed as Jonathan Bailey's Fiyero, for a pre-taped segment on the "Live" Oscars special that saw the duo acting out scenes from the film. And while Ripa's metamorphosis was jaw-dropping, many found the look to be creepy and unsettling.

"I don't know whether to call this a fright or a delight," mused ET Canada alum Graeme O'Neil (via YouTube). "It's altogether quite impossible to describe." Meanwhile, Ripa showed some behind-the-scenes footage of the transformation in an Instagram reel, which inspired comments like, "middle-aged woman tries to look like 20-something and fails miserably," and "Scary AF." So, while many were impressed by the likeness — and even Grande herself was reportedly impressed by the job that makeup artist Kristofer Buckle did — Ripa's "Wicked"-inspired look may have been an inappropriate choice.

Kelly Ripa isn't the only one on "Live with Kelly and Ryan" who has occasionally worn something way too small for TV. In July 2020, when she and her co-host were filming remotely, Ryan Seacrest came on screen in a shirt that was way too small for him. Ripa, of course, found the whole thing hilarious. "Oh, look at you," she said upon seeing Seacrest. "I couldn't wear this on the show," Seacrest began, "because it came like a blouse!" Ripa made a joke about her husband, telling Seacrest, "That is Mark Consuelos tight! That's what we call that right there." Seacrest explained that the company he ordered the shirt from accidentally sent him an XS and called it "not TV appropriate." 

Like Ripa, Seacrest isn't shy about showcasing his outfit mistakes, and he posted a photo of the shirt on Instagram, along with the video clip. "Accidentally ordered an XS shirt ... shout-out to all the buttons working overtime today," his caption read. Fans had lots of fun with it. One person, referencing Ripa's taste for tighter garments, wrote, "Kelly should wear that blouse." Many made sure Seacrest knew that he looked great no matter what. "Still looks good on ya," they wrote. No matter what fashion curveballs come at Ripa or Seacrest, it's clear that they take them in stride and have fun with them. Frankly, they both look incredible no matter what's going on, so any accidentally inappropriate outfits still look terrific.