Why Doesn’t Kelly Ripa Act Anymore? She Says…

While Kelly Ripa rose to fame as an actress, she has a simple reason for not taking on new roles in recent years.

“I try not to act so much anymore,” she told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published on Friday, December 12. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, it’s not that I don’t love it. But I really am devoted to this show and my [Let’s Talk Off Camera] podcast.”

Ripa famously portrayed Hayley Vaughan on the soap opera All My Children from 1990 to 2002. She briefly returned to the role for the show’s 40th anniversary celebration in 2010. It was during her time on All My Children that she met her husband, Mark Consuelos. The two wed in 1996 and have since welcomed three children — Michael, 28, Lola, 24, and Joaquin, 22.

One year before her All My Children exit, Ripa took over Kathie Lee Gifford‘s role as Regis Philbin‘s Live cohost in 2001. She has led the show ever since, going on to host with Michael Strahan and Ryan Seacrest before Consuelos took over as the cohost of Live With Kelly and Mark in 2023.

“I feel like my plate is full. Also, we have three adult kids, and I like to be present in their endeavors,” Ripa told the outlet of her step away from acting. “Our daughter [Lola] is now starting to perform in the music scene in London, so I like to be able to be present if she needs or wants me there.”

Kelly Ripa and Faith Ford on ‘Hope & Faith’ (Eric Liebowitz/ © Touchstone Television/ Courtesy Everett Collection)

Ripa has not entirely abandoned her acting roots, taking on minor roles over the years in projects such as Cheaper by the Dozen, Ugly Betty, Hannah Montana, 30 Rock, Broad City, Nashville, Riverdale, The Stand In, and Home Economics.

During her early days on Live, Ripa worked double duty, starring on the sitcom Hope & Faith, which ran for three seasons from 2003 to 2006. Working both gigs at the same time was a “hard job” for Ripa, as she told the outlet. “When you’re an actor, your schedule is not your own.”

In another interview with Entertainment Weekly published on Monday, December 15, Ripa revealed that she carried over the “no a**hole” policy from the Hope & Faith set to Live. “It’s a hard job. Putting on a sitcom is hard, in front of a live audience. The crew, the casting, everybody busts their butt,” Ripa explained. “If there are any agitators, we just didn’t tolerate it. You either get on the side of peace, or get going!”

Consuelos added, “We don’t have that here [at Live].”

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Ahead of this week’s Live episodes — which will feature “Eat, Drink, and Be Merry” segments and the show’s annual Holiday Sweater Contest — Ripa and Consuelos traveled across the pond to secretly attend their daughter Lola’s EP release event in London. The couple snuck into the performance, disguised in hats, before making their presence known to Lola.

“We are beside ourselves. She’s been working so hard and her hard work paid off and guess what? We pulled off the ultimate surprise,” Ripa told Hello! of the surprise. “She didn’t know we were here and we wanted to wait until it was all over to surprise her. We didn’t want to make her nervous.”

Lola for her part, gushed to the outlet, “I cried because I didn’t know they were coming! You saw my reaction! I want to have a glass of wine soon because I have all this adrenaline rushing out, but I am really happy. I’m so blessed that everyone came and supported me. It means a lot.”

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