Mark Consuelos reflected on Kelly Ripa’s retirement consideration in an exclusive interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” assuring viewers that Ripa won’t retire soon — but that she will eventually.
Ripa made comments about considering retirement “with great interest” in August, but she clarified that she wasn’t planning to make the move quite yet.
“I think it’s a real thing,” Consuelos said of his wife’s contemplation of stepping back from the TV spotlight. “She’s been at that for 23 years.”
“I think the risk-averse quality I have is probably the reason I stayed with the same job for so long,” Ripa told The Purist, a wellness outlet. “Other offers come along, but I like to stick with what I know. I am very steadfast in everything I do, and so when you have me, you have me for life. Having said that, I don’t intend to work at this job for the rest of my life. I do talk about retirement with great interest, but right now I’m very happy, especially working with Mark.”
Consuelos joined Ripa when her former co-host Ryan Seacrest departed the show after hosting “Live with Kelly and Ryan” with Ripa for six years. Seacrest left this hosting gig in February 2023, and he will now host “Wheel of Fortune” after the retirement of Pat Sajak, which was announced in June but won’t take place until after the 41st season, which begins this month. Seacrest will take over from Sajak in 2024.
“I don’t think it’s gonna be anytime soon,” Consuelos added of Ripa’s retirement. “I know she’s having a good time, I’m having a really, really good time. But at some point, yeah. When she does decide to walk away, no one’s earned it more than her.”
“She’s been working her butt off since she was like 12 or 13 years old, and she got into the business at 18, and so it’s been a long ride,” he said. “[But] she’s having a blast now.”