Kelly Ripa Had to Use a Janitor’s Closet as an Office, Wasn’t Given Private Bathroom During Early Days of ‘Live’: Revelations

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Kelly Ripa Had to Use a Janitor's Closet as an Office, Wasn't Given Private Bathroom During Early Days of 'Live': Revelations

A rocky road to success. Kelly Ripa is one of the leading daytime television hosts — but getting to that point wasn't always easy. The Live Wire author, 52, reflected on the highs and lows of her career in a candid Variety profile published on Tuesday, March 28, as she prepares for another big transition on Live: Ryan Seacrest's exit. The twosome began cohosting the talk show in 2017, with the American Idol personality, 48, announcing his departure earlier this year. Ripa's husband, Mark Consuelos, will be taking his place. "I've got to tell you: Even during the tough moments, my wife, she's a worker,” Consuelos, 51, gushed to the outlet. "I'd like to think that she's made a lot of sacrifices that have advanced the cause for women." Ripa got her start on Live in 2001, joining Regis Philbin in the wake of Kathie Lee Gifford's departure. The pairing was a hit — but Ripa faced a few challenges behind the scenes. "I was told that I couldn't have an office," the former soap opera star told Variety. "It didn't make a whole lot of sense, especially because there were empty offices that I could have easily occupied." [jwplayer UM39rrsg-zhNYySv2] According to Ripa, the conversations about whether she could have a designated workspace lasted several years. The network allowed her to take over an empty janitor's closet, allegedly claiming that other offices were being reserved for when executives came to visit the New York studio. "It was after my fourth year that they finally cleaned out the closet and put a desk in there for me," she continued, calling the setup "the strangest experience" of her career. "And so I was working in the janitor's closet with a desk so that I could have a place to put things." When Philbin left Live in 2011, Ripa thought she'd finally earned her own office — to no avail. "They said, 'Oh, no, we're saving that.' And I said, 'Saving it for what?' And they go, 'Well, for when the new guy comes.' And I looked at them, and I said, 'I am the new guy,'" she recalled. "I just moved my things. I forced my way into the office because I couldn't understand how I would still be in the janitor's closet and somebody new would come in and get the office." Despite being "the more senior on-air person" on the series following Philbin's final episode, Ripa still felt like she was being treated as "the new girl." (Philbin died in July 2020 at age 88.) Ripa began to notice that exceptions were being made for the show's male cohosts that weren't given to her. "All of those offices that were not available to me were suddenly made available, with walls knocked down to make them twice as big," she claimed. "It was fascinating for me to watch — the need to make the new guy comfortable and respected, but I couldn't use those offices. I had to use the broom closet." The Hope & Faith alum conceded that she didn't blame "the fellas" for not taking a stand against the apparent discrepancies. "The network had a duty and an obligation to keep all things equal," she noted. "[The guys] were just doing what they had been told, or what they were instructed to do, or what they thought they deserved. Having said that, I go out of my way to protect the people I'm working with at any and all costs, even if it means that I am not as popular." Scroll down for more of Ripa's most candid confessions about her career and future at Live:

Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock

Kelly Ripa Had to Use a Janitor's Closet as an Office, Wasn't Given Private Bathroom During Early Days of 'Live': Revelations

A rocky road to success. Kelly Ripa is one of the leading daytime television hosts — but getting to that point wasn't always easy. The Live Wire author, 52, reflected on the highs and lows of her career in a candid Variety profile published on Tuesday, March 28, as she prepares for another big transition on Live: Ryan Seacrest's exit. The twosome began cohosting the talk show in 2017, with the American Idol personality, 48, announcing his departure earlier this year. Ripa's husband, Mark Consuelos, will be taking his place. "I've got to tell you: Even during the tough moments, my wife, she's a worker,” Consuelos, 51, gushed to the outlet. "I'd like to think that she's made a lot of sacrifices that have advanced the cause for women." Ripa got her start on Live in 2001, joining Regis Philbin in the wake of Kathie Lee Gifford's departure. The pairing was a hit — but Ripa faced a few challenges behind the scenes. "I was told that I couldn't have an office," the former soap opera star told Variety. "It didn't make a whole lot of sense, especially because there were empty offices that I could have easily occupied." [jwplayer UM39rrsg-zhNYySv2] According to Ripa, the conversations about whether she could have a designated workspace lasted several years. The network allowed her to take over an empty janitor's closet, allegedly claiming that other offices were being reserved for when executives came to visit the New York studio. "It was after my fourth year that they finally cleaned out the closet and put a desk in there for me," she continued, calling the setup "the strangest experience" of her career. "And so I was working in the janitor's closet with a desk so that I could have a place to put things." When Philbin left Live in 2011, Ripa thought she'd finally earned her own office — to no avail. "They said, 'Oh, no, we're saving that.' And I said, 'Saving it for what?' And they go, 'Well, for when the new guy comes.' And I looked at them, and I said, 'I am the new guy,'" she recalled. "I just moved my things. I forced my way into the office because I couldn't understand how I would still be in the janitor's closet and somebody new would come in and get the office." Despite being "the more senior on-air person" on the series following Philbin's final episode, Ripa still felt like she was being treated as "the new girl." (Philbin died in July 2020 at age 88.) Ripa began to notice that exceptions were being made for the show's male cohosts that weren't given to her. "All of those offices that were not available to me were suddenly made available, with walls knocked down to make them twice as big," she claimed. "It was fascinating for me to watch — the need to make the new guy comfortable and respected, but I couldn't use those offices. I had to use the broom closet." The Hope & Faith alum conceded that she didn't blame "the fellas" for not taking a stand against the apparent discrepancies. "The network had a duty and an obligation to keep all things equal," she noted. "[The guys] were just doing what they had been told, or what they were instructed to do, or what they thought they deserved. Having said that, I go out of my way to protect the people I'm working with at any and all costs, even if it means that I am not as popular." Scroll down for more of Ripa's most candid confessions about her career and future at Live:

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Using Janitor's Closet as an Office

Ripa looked back on being "told" that she "couldn't have an office," calling it "the strangest experience I've ever had in my life." She claimed: "It didn't make a whole lot of sense, especially because there were empty offices that I could have easily occupied."

Ripa added: "It was after my fourth year that they finally cleaned out the closet and put a desk in there for me. And so I was working in the janitor's closet with a desk so that I could have a place to put things."

Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock

Waiting to Use Studio's Public Restroom

Along with not having a designated office, Ripa didn't have her own private bathroom at the beginning of her time on the show. "We have a studio audience — like, 250 people! — and I have to queue up. Particularly when I was pregnant, it was extraordinarily exhausting to have to wait in line," she said. "I have to host the show, and I'm still waiting in line to use the bathroom. It just seemed, you know, a very needlessly difficult situation." 

When asked what audience members thought about bumping into the show's cohost in line, she teased, "They couldn't believe it either."

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Her Most Challenging 'Transitions'

Ripa joked that she told Seacrest she had "a little PTSD" after being kept in the dark about the exits of previous cohosts. "I can't say it enough. I had a really difficult time. These transitions don't have to be dramatic," she told Variety. "I know what it's like to feel like you're not wanted somewhere. I came from an acting background, and I am an expert in rejection. But this was like weirdly being rejected while also being the person that they wanted for the show."

The New Jersey native had "very tough" moments before being joined by Seacrest in 2017. "Had I known how difficult it would have been, I don't know that I would have gone for it," she confessed. "I just think my ignorance in that situation wound up being my blessing and my superpower. I did not have an easy time."

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Earning Fair Pay

While discussing her biggest setbacks, Ripa asserted that the disparities she experienced were "not any one person's fault" but the "collective fault" of several colleagues. She claimed she was only given a fair salary when her contract expired and she realized she had the potential to leave. 

"I don't think they wanted to pay me," she continued. "I think they had to pay me. I was trying to walk out the door and close it behind me. And I think they really figured out rapidly that they had screwed up in a major way, and it was not a good look. I think that was really the impetus behind paying me fairly. They had no choice."

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Working With Her Husband

Ripa will be joined by Consuelos on the morning show starting in April. "We're the last people on earth to suggest ourselves to work together for anything," she teased. 

The twosome previously teamed up on All My Children, where Ripa began to pick up on how differently men were treated in the workplace. "He was paid far more than I was paid. Always. And he started years after I started," she said of her husband. "It wasn't until I got what we call my 'fancy job' that I started actually earning more money than him. ... We have been together so long that it's always been collective money. We are very much old-fashioned in that sense."

Credit: ABC Entertainment

When She'll Retire From 'Live'

Ripa has spent more than 20 years on the daytime series — and she doesn't plan on leaving any time soon. "I've never had a year off in my life," she said, weighing the possibility. "The most I've had off is a month, and that's usually been for maternity leave." 

When the time finally does come for her to step away, Ripa is hopeful the show will continue without her. "I don't want to put a timeline on it,” she noted. "But I do believe there is a great opportunity to get two younger people and start training them, because I like seamless transitions. However long it takes to get two people up and ready is how long we'll be there."