Kelly Ripa reveals she's been quarantining in the Caribbean since March: 'We decided to stay where we were'
Kelly Ripa has been quarantining in the Caribbean this whole time.
The Live With Kelly and Ryan co-host revealed her whereabouts during a virtual town hall for Disney employees, called a “Speakeasy” series, on Thursday. In the chat, moderated by WABC-TV’s Sandy Kenyon, she revealed that she and husband Mark Consuelos traveled there in March with their three kids, and that the coronavirus pandemic led to them sheltering in place.
"We had planned a trip for our family," Ripa said, without specifying which island they visited, according to People magazine. "We arrive and three days later, the entire world changed, really. I mean, everything shut down; the government shut down; our country shut down.”
She added, “I hate to use the word ‘stuck,’ but we were. We decided to stay where we were."
A source close to Ripa told People, “The family was on a trip in the Caribbean when told to shelter in place and decided to stay put.”
Ripa said while “it was supposed to be a two-week trip,” she “wound up going right back to work” on her morning show. She and co-host Ryan Seacrest “decided it was better to do the show because we just felt like with everything that was going on in the world that perhaps some normalcy ... would be the best thing for us."
Seacrest, who has been shooting the show from his Los Angeles home, took a day off work Monday — a day after there was speculation about his health while hosting the American Idol finale. Consuelos is Seacrest’s replacement.
On Thursday, Live With Kelly and Ryan received several Daytime Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show.
During the town hall, Ripa said her parents and Consuelos’s parents were supposed to join them the second week of their trip, but they weren’t able to, which she said was "distressing."
However, "I've been most grateful that at least I have my adult children with me,” she continued.
She also shared that they had family staying at their New York townhouse. (They also have homes in the Hamptons and Telluride, Colo.)
While in the Caribbean, the pair celebrated eldest Michael graduating from New York University. (Their daughter Lola attends the same school.)
While Ripa is far from home during the pandemic, NYC remains in her heart. She and Consuelos donated $500,000 to WIN, an organization running 11 women’s shelters across New York City.
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