Kelly Ripa & Mark Consuelos Financially Supported Son For A Year After He Struggled To Get A Job After College

Mar 20, 2023

Kelly Ripa and her family have had pretty successful lives. She and her husband, actor Mark Consuelos, both made careers for themselves in the entertainment industry, while their three children have also found themselves in the spotlight due to their famous parents. However, that doesn’t mean that life is always a walk in the park for them. Ripa revealed that their eldest son, Michael Consuelos, found himself struggling after graduating from college in 2020, and shared how she and Mark chose to support him during the difficult period.

Ripa is known for her vivacious attitude as a talk show host, and she has also worked as an actress and television producer. Some of her most notable roles include being the co-host of the syndicated morning talk show “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” as well as some past roles in sitcoms and soap operas, such as “All My Children.” This is actually how Ripa and Mark met, as the latter was a regular on the ABC soap opera. He is also known for his supporting role as Hiram Lodge on the television series “Riverdale.”

Together, the famous couple has been successful in their own career avenues – and they seem just as successful as a married pair. Ripa and Mark have easily become one of the most beloved couples in Hollywood, and their family is absolutely beautiful. The family spends most of their time together at their New York townhouse, as well as their residence in The Hamptons.

The pair’s three children – Michael, 25, Lola, 21 and Joaquin Consuelos, 20 – have all reached early adulthood. Despite now being empty nesters, the pair have found that this doesn’t mean they can’t still support their children in their times of need, as Ripa discovered after Michael’s graduation.

In 2023, Ripa and Mark celebrated 26 years of wedded bliss, after eloping in Mexico in 1996 when Ripa was 25 years old. They welcomed their son Michael in 1997, daughter Lola in 2001 and Joaquin in 2003. 

While their grown children are out building lives for themselves independent of their parents, Ripa shared that becoming empty nesters hasn’t been all bad. She shared with Insider how revealing her first vacation with Mark without the children was.

“It was luxurious and adventurous. We didn’t get bored. Our kids called us several times because they thought we might miss them or that we were bored in some way. And we tried to pretend, ‘It’s not as much fun without you guys,’ but we had the time of our lives,” she said.

While Ripa is encouraging of her children’s journey into adulthood and self-sufficiency, she also understood there are certain challenges they faced that required extra support. In a November 2022 episode of “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” she revealed her eldest son struggled after graduating at the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

“Adulting is hard nowadays. It’s very hard for kids. Job opportunities aren’t what they were. The economy is driving this trend. I know that Michael graduated college in May of 2020 and he had a writing job lined up which evaporated because the pandemic shut down the production and it just never came back,” she said.

Ripa explained that, because of the “unique time right now to have kids in college” and Michael’s options drying up because of it, she and Mark gave him a one-year grace period during which they helped see him through financially.

Ripa also said on the show that, while she and her husband provide “safety nets” for their children, it doesn’t mean they don’t expect them to also support themselves.

“I said to them, these are years that you won’t get back and this is a time where we won’t mind supporting you financially as long as you work — as long as you maintain a job for your add-ons, as I call them,” she stated.

She explained that her own journey into adulthood taught her life lessons that she also wanted her children to learn.

“The bells and whistles; the stuff that they want — as long as you work for that, we will cover the core expenses, but once you graduate, that’s over. Because we were married at 25, you know what I mean? And we feel like because we didn’t have safety nets, we got something cooking,” she reasoned.

While Michael may have endured some lows back in 2020, he most certainly celebrated a high in 2022 when he made it into People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive issue. He was featured in the issue’s portfolio on famous sons alongside young guns such as Pierce Brosnan’s sons, Dylan and Paris Brosnan. Michael shared some insights into his relationship with his father. He told People:

“My dad has a cool closet. I often raid my dad’s closet — and he always notices. He’s like, ‘Hey, where’s this?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, you weren’t home. You were in Vancouver for a while, so I figured…’ He’s like, ‘Don’t figure, ask!’” 

He confessed to being a “big suit guy,” and that “whenever I have any chance to dress up, wear a tie and suit, I jump at it. Looking good and being comfortable doing it, that’s my thing.”

What do you think of Ripa’s decision to support her children financially in their early adulthood? Did you do the same? Let us know and don’t forget to pass this along to fans of Ripa and her beautiful family.