It’s been 22 years since Kelly Ripa first took her seat next to Regis Philbin as an official co-host of Live! Since then, three other men (and a whole lot of guest hosts) have shared the stage with her on the popular syndicated morning show, and naturally the question has come up — especially with Ryan Seacrest’s recent exit — about how much longer she plans to watch the sun rise with her loyal viewers. The topic of retirement came up again recently, and Ripa didn’t hesitate to share her opinion.
Retirement is not a dirty word, it turns out, for Kelly Ripa, who spoke to the Purist about all things life, love and career. Those three things seem to be intertwined right now, as her husband of 27 years, Mark Consuelos began serving as her co-host on Live with Kelly and Mark following Ryan Seacrest’s final episode in April. When speaking about why she’s stayed on the show for so long and if she thinks about retiring, Ripa also mentioned that she’s had opportunities to walk away over the years. She said:
