Kelly Ripa Credits “All My Children” Casting Director for Giving Her Mark Consuelos and Their Kids: 'I Would Literally Have Nothing'

Kelly Ripa has a lot to thank casting director Judy Blye Wilson for — and she’s well aware!

The Live with Kelly and Mark co-host opened up about Wilson's impact on her life during a panel discussion at the 92Y in N.Y.C. on Tuesday, Jan. 14 titled All My Children at 55, an All My Children anniversary event hosted by Andy Cohen and Susan Lucci.

During the conversation, Cohen asked Wilson about some of her proudest casting moments, at which point Ripa, 54, quickly interjected, “If I may add, without Judy, I would literally have nothing.”

“I would not have my husband [Mark Consuelos]. I would not have my children. You are responsible for every good thing that's ever happened to us. And I just want to publicly say that because I've said it before, but without you [present],” she continued.

Related: Cole Sprouse Models His Relationship with Ari Fournier After Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos’ Love: It’s ‘Admirable’

Ripa first met Consuelos in 1995 during his audition to play her character Hayley Vaughan's love interest Mateo Santos on the famous soap opera — though Wilson revealed that casting the Riverdale actor, 53, was by no means a sure thing at the time.

“[The show’s executives] couldn't make a decision about Mark,” she revealed during the panel.

“And I was so behind him,” she continued, adding, “And I brought Kelly into my office and I showed her a black and white picture of him and his headshot, and she really liked him. Really. I did everything.  And I don't know why they were dragging their heels on it, but they actually had him play the role [temporarily].”

“So he started playing the role and I had to continue to search for another person. [...] Finally, I begged to the producer and she [relented], and it turned out to be the best — one of the best parts — that I ever cast. Because it not only maintained for that story, but it obviously maintained for your life” she said motioning to Ripa. “Which is fabulous. Just fabulous.“

Other cast members apparently noticed the immediate chemistry between the pair as well.

“I just have to say something about Mark and Kelly,” their former costar and soap icon, Lucci, told Cohen during the discussion. “I was happy to be in the hair and makeup room watching their audition scenes. [...] And we were all like, 'Oh, get a room.' The chemistry between you two was coming right through the screen.”

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Ripa and Consuelos soon began dating and eloped to Las Vegas in 1996.

The pair — who now share three grown children: Michael, 27, Lola, 23, and Joaquin, 21 — are routinely honest about the secret to their almost 30-year marriage: Namely, there is no secret.

Related: Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Celebrate Eldest Child Michael’s 27th Birthday with Throwback Reel: 'You Got the Ball Rolling Baby' 

"You’re going to go through things, there are ups and downs," Ripa told Entertainment Tonight in 2023. "The thing is, don't panic."

During a January 2020 episode of her show Live with Kelly and Ryan, the television personality likened marriage to a “marathon.”

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“You’re going to fight, you’re going to have disagreements. Relationships, marriages are not sprints, it’s a marathon,” she said. “There’s going to be like, mile 24, when you’re like, ‘I quit.’ But you just got to push through. Just push through.”

“There’s really nothing that’s that insurmountable besides abuse or things of that nature. You’re going to fight. You’re going to have disagreements. You’re going to fundamentally not agree on things. And if you take a breath, you usually can’t remember what you’re fighting about,” she added.

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