“He started years after I started”: Kelly Ripa Brings Up Sexism in ‘All My Children’ – Claims Husband Mark Consuelos Earned More
Given her long television career, Kelly Ripa has undoubtedly witnessed some gruesome things. She has previously addressed mistreatment on Live!; in 2016, after being caught off guard by Michael Strahan’s exit announcement. Consequently, we can say that she has long been concerned about pay equity.
She is, however, going into greater detail about the overt sexism she has experienced throughout a decade-long career in a recent interview. She spoke about how she had experienced unfair treatment in the workplace when she recently appeared on the cover of Variety’s Power Of Women issue.
The talk show host admitted that she received less pay than her All My Children co-star and current husband, Mark Consuelos, during her time as a cast member in the 1990s. Even though she had begun working on the soap before he did.
With 22 years of experience as the host of a single daytime talk show, Kelly Ripa now makes around $20 million a year.
Kelly Ripa Was Blunt About Sexism During Her Time On All My Children
As the co-host of Live!, she not only became a movie star and a rich woman, but also made TV history alongside legends like Regis Philbin, Jerry Springer, Phil Donahue, and Oprah Winfrey.
She is speaking out more about overt sexism in a new interview with Variety’s Power Of Women issue, and she also mentioned how she has previously experienced workplace discrimination. The talk show host admitted that while she was a cast member of All My Children in the 1990s, she was paid less than her co-star and current husband Mark Consuelos.
One thing was for sure, she believed, there had been a pay disparity for years. She was accustomed to that because of her time on All My Children, where Consuelos received “far more” remuneration than she did despite starting the show years after her.
About their time working together on the show, she said, “He started years after I started.”
Ripa began working for ABC’s AMC in November 1990 as the wild child Hayley Vaughan. She had only appeared on Dance Party USA and Dancin’ On Air as a dancer on national television before that.
While, Consuelos signed on with AMC in February 1995, as Mateo Santos despite having no notable prior experience.
She Even Got No ‘Vip Treatment’ When She Joined Live With Regis
She later mentioned in her interview that when she first started working for Live With Regis & Kelly, her office was a janitor’s closet. Kelly Ripa pointed out that she didn’t begin making more money than her husband until she started working at what some refer to as her ‘fancy job.’ “We have been together so long that it’s always been collective money. We are very old-fashioned in that sense.”
Furthermore, she disclosed that when she first joined Live With Regis & Kelly, she was treated unfairly.
In 2001, after Kathy Lee Gifford left, the 52-year-old began working at Live With Regis & Kelly, but she was not given any special or “VIP treatment”.
Instead, the Work Wife actress—who earlier this week opened up about her marriage—had to use the janitor’s closet to finish her paperwork and had to use a public restroom with around 250 onlookers. She found this awkward, particularly when there was a long line.
The mother of two admitted to the magazine, “I had a really difficult time.”
As the show enters a new era with her husband Consuelos as a new co-host, Ripa is already considering taking a break and training a replacement. However, she does want to leave a legacy of equality in the workplace. She claims that’s the only reason she speaks out.
Related: “Relationships and Marriages!” Who Did Kelly Ripa Date Before Marrying Mark Consuelos?
Source- Variety
