“I never really fancied being on camera”: Kelly Ripa Reveals She Hates Acting Despite Building $120M Fortune as Talk Show Host
Starting her career as a dancer on Dancin’ On Air in 1986, Kelly Ripa got her first acting job in the 1990 soap opera, All My Children. She portrayed the character of Hayley Vaughan for more than a decade and started hosting ABC’s talk show, Live with Kelly before the former NFL star Michael Strahan joined Ripa as her co-host. However, after Strahan got a full-time role at GMA, the All My Children actor was once again on her own.
After Michael Strahan, Ryan Seacrest joined Ripa as co-host in 2017, and the duo has been hosting the show since. Although she has been doing pretty well as a talk show host, things were not always the same for her. During an interview with Bustle in 2021, she shared how life was not easy for her before she became a talk show host.
Kelly Ripa’s Struggle as a Soap Opera Star
During her 2021 interview, Kelly Ripa shared that she started acting because it was a job that would pay her. She shared that she never “fancied being on camera,” but she did the soap opera, All My Children because it was the easiest way for her to earn a living.
“But that’s the way I’ve found has been the easiest way for me to earn a living, which facilitates other things that I like doing. I like creating projects in entertainment, but I don’t necessarily want to star in them if that makes sense.”
She also shared that working on the soap opera was not easy for her, especially after having a 1-year-old son alongside. Ripa shared that shooting for a single episode took 12 to 14 hours. “We used to routinely work 12 to 14-hour days. That wasn’t a long day. That was just your basic day,” she said.
Kelly Ripa shared that she used to bring her son on the set. She also shared that all of it was hard for her. And she was also bothered by how her husband’s lifestyle was still the same.
Kelly Ripa Still Feels the Same About Being on Camera
Kelly Ripa still feels the same way about being on camera. Followed by the soap opera, All My Children, she started hosting the talk show. While it was quite different from acting, it still required her to stay on camera. However, her thoughts about being on camera don’t seem to have changed.
Answering the question if she still feels the same way about being on camera, Ripa said, “A hundred percent. I always feel like I’m slipping into a costume when I go out in front of the camera.” Although the talk show host does not prefer being on camera, she has still managed to build a fortune for her as a talk show host.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Kelly Ripa has a net worth of $120 million, and her annual salary for Live With Kelly and Ryan is $22 million. Other than the talk show, she has also partnered with several brands.
Source: Bustle
