Kelly Ripa has been a part of daytime television for most of her career. First as a soap star on All My Children and then as the co-host on Live. While the co-hosts have changed several times since Ripa first landed the gig in 2001 after taking over the role from Kathy Lee Gifford, and subsequently making more than her, Ripa has remained the constant on the show for over 20 years. That fact has netted her a substantial paycheck, due to the proof that fans tune in for Ripa on weekdays without fail, regardless of who is sitting in the co-hosting chair opposite the mother of three.
During her time on Live, Ripa's paycheck has continued to grow. However, given the fact that she is rapidly approaching the same number of years her original co-host, Regis Philbin, who took shots at Ripa before her first show, spent on Live, it may be that Ripa's pay has hit its peak. While this figure is impressive, it may not grow Ripa's net worth as exponentially as it once did. Because of this, Ripa's net worth may become stagnant.
How Much Does Kelly Ripa Make On 'Live'?
When Ripa first started on Live, her income was based on a multi-year contract. Now that she is the anchor of the show, that figure has nearly tripled and Ripa is paid on an annual basis. Not too shabby for a woman who was not wanted by Philbin as a co-host and not given a dressing room, but instead a maintenance staff closet in her early days of co-hosting Live.
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During her early days on Live, Ripa was making approximately $8 million per year. But after years of success and proving to be a ratings darling both with and without Philbin, that salary was adjusted.
First, when she co-hosted with Michael Strahan and again, when co-hosting with Ryan Seacrest, with whom Ripa had a very close relationship. This eventually brought Ripa to where she is today, making $22 million per year.
While that is quite a leap from when Ripa started in 2001 and her net worth is rising, it is not jumping up exponentially yearly like some stars have experienced with their bank accounts. There is a good reason for this.
Kelly Ripa's Net Worth Is Increasing (But Slowly)
Since the days of acting on the soaps, Ripa has made substantially more money. This is because when on All My Children, Ripa was earning at the height of her soap career, $5,000 per episode.
If Ripa were to have filmed all the 250 or so days that soaps shoot, that would have put her around $1.25 million per year. The figure is nothing to sneeze at but is peanuts compared to what the Live host is worth today.
During her time with Philbin, Ripa was earning around $8 million per year. This was a huge bump from her days as a soap star and allowed for a completely different lifestyle than previously lived.
However, it was when Ripa negotiated her contract after Philbin retired that a substantial pay bump occurred. This is because when hosting Live with Strahan, for the 257 to 259 episodes that are done annually for the show, her salary was around $36,000 per episode, per Parade.
This got Ripa close to $10 million per year. $10 million per year became a small figure, however, when it came time for renegotiations once again when bringing Seacrest on board.
Ripa jumped up to "$77,520 per episode" while filming Live with Seacrest. Now, Ripa was being paid what she was worth for bringing in high ratings year after year, after Philbin's departure. And with her new annual paycheck of $20 million, Ripa's net worth began to skyrocket starting in 2017.
This all helped to build Ripa's net worth to "approximately $120 million." However, that number has not changed much in the past several years.
From 2020 to 2023, Ripa's net worth increased from $100 million to $120 million. The reason that the amount Ripa is worth has not fluctuated a huge amount even though she was paid tens of millions of dollars during this timeframe has to do with what her normal expenses are.
It also has to do with business ventures she has entered into with her and her husband Mark Consuelos' production company. And while Ripa is known for being one of the more frugal celebrities when it comes to spending, that does not mean she has not let loose some of her fortune to live the good life.
How Does Kelly Ripa Spend Her Fortune?
While it is reported that Ripa does not like to throw away money, nor does she let her children, that does not mean that when it comes to living her best life she skimps. In fact, from multiple homes in different locals to luxury cars, sessions with celebrity trainers, and more, Ripa is not afraid to let some of her fortune go to play as hard as she works.
Ripa has amassed five properties over the last several decades. The most expensive of which is the home she spends most of her time in New York City.
The home is a five-bedroom, six-bath mansion that was purchased in 2003. And while it was likely lovely to begin with, since that purchase, the home has undergone a $27 million overhaul, according to Hello!, to make the abode feel comfy and cozy at the end of a long work day.
In addition to the NYC home, Ripa also owns a home in Telluride, CO, one in the Caribbean, where she spent the bulk of her time with her family during COVID, a Hamptons summer home, and a rental home in Michigan to root on her son, Joaquin and his wrestling endeavors at college.
To get around, Ripa chooses to drive in luxury. As such, her most expensive vehicles include things such as a Porsche 911, which cost $280,000, and a Mercedes-Benz AMG GT, which cost $295,000. Ripa's other vehicles include an Audi Q2, Volvo XC90, and Jaguar F-Type.
While Ripa's net worth may not be going up as exponentially as it once was given that she is expanding her business ventures, it does not mean that she is losing money by any means. It just means that while Ripa is expanding her entertainment empire, her net worth may stall slightly until there is a huge payday when all the hard work behind the scenes is realized.
