Kelly Ripa Talks Leaving & Never Coming Back

Live host Kelly Ripa told her audience this week about plans to leave and never come back to the show.

Kelly and her husband Mark Consuelos currently host the wildly popular morning talk show. But according to Kelly, she could leave tomorrow and never come back. Read on to find out what Kelly is talking about. And if fans can expect her to leave their mornings Kelly-less any time soon.

Kelly’s Search For A Co-Host Went High And Low But Ended Close To Home

Kelly Ripa has been around on Live for a long time. When Kathy Giffords announced she was retiring from the show’s original iteration, Live with Regis and Kathy, they searched long and hard for a replacement co-host. Kelly Ripa was chosen and took the seat beside Regis Philbin in 2001. While at Regis’ side, young viewership increased and ratings went up as the vivacious Kelly breathed new life into the morning show.

Through multiple co-hosts, Kelly has stayed the course now for 22 years. But while joking with her current co-host Mark Consuelos, who happens to be her husband, Kelly let slip that she might not be on the show forever. And a few recent absences have fans considering what Live might look like without Kelly at the helm. Last week, Kelly and Mark’s best friend Andy Cohen filled in while Kelly took the day off. And in August of 2022, Kelly spent more than a week away from the show. Kelly’s then-co-host, Ryan Seacrest, joked about her absence when a guest referenced it. “I heard she won the lottery. She’s fine,” Ryan said.

Kelly Ripa Talks About Leaving Show And Never Coming Back

And that joke circled back around this week during a segment with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. On Monday’s show, Kelly talked about a hot night out in New York. She then told the audience, “Listen, just so you know, I probably won’t be here tomorrow or forever.” She then added that her reasoning for being gone was because “I’m going to hit the $900 million Powerball.” The audience cheered and Mark laughed at her comment.

Mark asked if he gets a ticket now that he’s a member of the show. Kelly questioned if he contributed to the show’s ticket pool. Mark asked when the collection would be for that pool, and Kelly responded, “Uh, we’re collecting money for the new one. Yeah.” Kelly responded that she has the office pool, which will “probably turn into a lawsuit.” Additionally, Kelly joked, “I have my own side hustle tickets that I don’t have to split between the 40 people that contribute.”

Kelly then told Mark that her plan is to move to the South of France and leave him to stay in New York and work alongside Jenny Mullen. She mused, “Nobody will even notice I’m gone. They’ll just think I’ve had work done.” She called the plan “amazing” adding that “I’ve got this whole thing figured out.” Kelly then turned to the audience and joked, “I’ll miss you all, but thank you.”

Would you quit your job and scram if you won the Powerball? And how long do you think Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos will stick around at Live? Catch the couple while they last on Live With Kelly & Mark at 9 AM EST weekdays on ABC.