In 1990, Kelly Ripa joined the cast of ABC's All My Children as teenage rebel Hayley Vaughan, who eventually turned out to be the long-lost daughter of Adam Chandler. Six years later, Disney bought ABC, starting Ripa's longtime association with the entertainment giant.
While Ripa left AMC in 2002, she didn't leave ABC. In 2001, she became co-host of Live with Regis and Kelly, replacing Kathy Lee Gifford on Regis Philbin's morning show, exiting the Pine Valley scene not long after. Ripa still performs hosting duties in 2024, now alongside her husband of 28 years, Mark Consuelos.
That decades-long Disney association led to a very special day on August 11 when she became a Disney Legend during Disney's D23 expo. Other performers to receive the honor included Angela Bassett, Miley Cyrus, and Harrison Ford.
Ripa's former Live co-host Ryan Seacrest presented Ripa with her honor. When she took the stage at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA (the home of the Disneyland theme park), Ripa spoke of her start with ABC as a soap star. She posted a video of the moment to her Instagram page.
"This feels so weird for me, and I want to thank [Disney CEO] Bob Iger for this truly magical experience," Ripa said. "I know what you're thinking, 'Why her? What has she ever done?'"
Ripa's speech continued as she thanked ABC for giving her the family and life she has today, but she added a little quip with her signature sense of humor.
"I owe everything to Disney. Not only my career, but my entire immediate family," she explained. "I met my smokin' hot husband [Mark Consuelos] on the set of All My Children 30 years ago, and from there, we made our own three children right backstage in the Disney Labs."
Consuelos joined the AMC cast in 1995 as Mateo Santos, and the chemistry between him and Ripa was evident both on-screen and off. As Hayley and Mateo fell in love, so did Ripa and Consuelos. The pair eloped in 1996, and they have been together ever since. Along the way, the couple raised three children, Michael, Lola, and Joaquin.
Were you a fan of Hayley and Mateo on All My Children? What do you think their life is like today? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
