{"id":2098240,"date":"2025-10-17T17:59:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T17:59:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2098240"},"modified":"2025-10-17T17:59:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T17:59:07","slug":"inside-kelly-ripas-love-at-first-sight-moment-with-mark-consuelos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/inside-kelly-ripas-love-at-first-sight-moment-with-mark-consuelos\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Kelly Ripa\u2019s Love-at-First-Sight Moment With Mark Consuelos"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">When <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/people\/judy-blye-wilson\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Judy Blye Wilson;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Judy Blye Wilson<\/a> became the casting director for <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/show\/all-my-children\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:All My Children;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">All My Children<\/a><\/em> in 1991, the long-running soap was on the verge of a new era that would soon include one of its most memorable real-life love stories.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThat\u2019s when <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/people\/kelly-ripa\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Kelly Ripa;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Kelly Ripa<\/a> came in (as Hayley Vaughan),\u201d Wilson recalls. \u201cAnd I can\u2019t really take credit for it because she was cast by Joan D\u2019Incecco (the previous casting director) and by that group prior to my getting there. But I definitely had a lot to do with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/people\/mark-consuelos\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Mark Consuelos;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Mark Consuelos<\/a> (getting hired as Mateo Santos) and that\u2019s an understatement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In 1994, the soap was seeking the perfect actor to play a love interest for Ripa. \u201cThey wanted it to be a Latino or Hispanic young man,\u201d Wilson recalls. \u201cHe needed to be young and drop-dead gorgeous. So, I started a big search, because it wasn\u2019t very easy at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos &#8211; &#8216;All My Children&#8217;<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">American Broadcasting Company \/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">One of the first budding stars to catch her eye was Mark Consuelos. \u201cHe was out of Florida, not local,\u201d she explains. \u201cI noticed that he had gone to Notre Dame and graduated fairly recently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Soon after, Ripa stopped by Wilson\u2019s office and spotted the photo of Consuelos. \u201cThe picture was on the desk of Mark, and she picked it up and fell in love for the rest of her life,\u201d Wilson relays. \u201cIt happened right there. She flipped out over his picture. And it was just an 8-by-10 headshot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Wilson brought Consuelos in to read for Mateo, but it wasn\u2019t an immediate yes, which became a challenge because the character was already written into scripts. \u201cThe network wasn\u2019t sure,\u201d she reveals. \u201cThey were a little shaky. So, we tested him again with other people, and then it just got to be out of control. Nobody was sure, and everybody was unsure, and then they said, \u2018We can\u2019t push it back any further. We have to start this role.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Consuelos began filming, but still wasn\u2019t guaranteed the part. \u201cHe started playing the role of Mateo, and he had to screen test while he was playing the role with other guys, which was unheard of and phenomenal,\u201d Wilson details. \u201cFinally, they gave him the role, and he and Kelly fell in love immediately. The rest, I think, is history. So, that was a unique story because I don\u2019t know of anyone that ever played a role while they were still screen-testing with other candidates trying to get the role.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ripa and Consuelos\u2019 union proved fruitful. After eloping in Las Vegas on May 1, 1996, they welcomed three children \u2014 Michael, 28, Lola, 24, and Joaquin, 22. The duo left the soap in 2002 but returned in January 2010 to mark its 40<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary. Ripa began officially cohosting <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/show\/live-with-kelly-and-mark\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Live With Regis and Kelly i;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>Live With Regis and Kelly<\/em> i<\/a>n February 2001. After 22 years of filling in as Ripa\u2019s cohost, Consuelos joined her permanently in 2023.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Kelly Ripa, Michael Consuelos, Lola Consuelos, Mark Consuelos, and Joaquin Consuelos, Instagram, December 2022.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"570\" height=\"570\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/kbcvaSptCM3HlbQ1AXRxrA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/tv_insider_639\/b51a970af8f5165e71840eb24cc17c17\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Kelly Ripa, Michael Consuelos, Lola Consuelos, Mark Consuelos, and Joaquin Consuelos, Instagram, December 2022.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Courtesy of Kelly Ripa\/Instagram<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">That their relationship, which took hold on the set, has remained strong is a source of delight for Wilson. \u201cIt\u2019s a phenomenal story,\u201d she points out. \u201cNot only were they truly attracted to each other, there was something rather cosmic that went on. She was drawn to his picture, and they were drawn to each other physically, spiritually, and every other way. You can say that it was just meant to be, and it\u2019s worked out very well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Wilson will be recognized as a \u201cSilver Circle\u201d honoree for her successful casting career at the<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/show\/daytime-emmys\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"> 52<sup>nd<\/sup> Annual Daytime Emmy Awards<\/a>, streaming live on October 17 and available to watch at <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/watch.theemmys.tv\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:watch.theemmys.tv;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">watch.theemmys.tv<\/a> and via The Emmys app.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the latest entertainment news on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:TV Insider;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">TV Insider<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Judy Blye Wilson became the casting director for All My Children in 1991, the long-running soap was on the verge of a new era that would soon include one of its most memorable real-life love stories. \u201cThat\u2019s when Kelly Ripa came in (as Hayley Vaughan),\u201d Wilson recalls. \u201cAnd I can\u2019t really take credit for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2098241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[322547,341861,34127,34130,396419],"class_list":["post-2098240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-all-my-children","tag-judy-blye-wilson","tag-kelly-ripa","tag-mark-consuelos","tag-mateo-santos"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Inside-Kelly-Ripas-Love-at-First-Sight-Moment-With-Mark-Consuelos.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2098240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2098240"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2098240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2098242,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2098240\/revisions\/2098242"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2098241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2098240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2098240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2098240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}