Kelly Ripa & Mark didn’t plan on supporting kids post-college but ‘times are hard’

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos have three kids: Michael, 25, Lola, 21 and Joaquin, 19. Lola and Joaquin are in college and Michael graduated from NYU in 2020. Apparently, Kelly and Mark told their kids they would support them financially for the bulk of their expenses through college but once they graduated, they were on their own. However, given the job market, Kelly said things have changed. When Michael’s job became a pandemic casualty, she and Mark extended his financial grace period because times are hard right now.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos will always be their kids’ biggest supporters.
On Friday’s episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan, the mom of three, 52, opened up about the difficulties of “adulting” as her kids join the workforce, sharing that her oldest son Michael, 25, had a hard time with his post-college job.

“Adulting is hard nowadays. It’s very hard for kids. Job opportunities aren’t what they were. The economy is driving this trend.” said Ripa. “I know that Michael graduated college in May of 2020 and he had a writing job lined up which evaporated because the pandemic shut down the production and it just never came back.”

“So, you know, we gave him a grace period of an additional year to find other job opportunities because it’s hard,” she said of her and her husband Mark Consuelos.
Ripa went on to explain why she feels it’s a “unique time right now to have kids in college.”

“I said to them, these are years that you won’t get back and this is a time where we won’t mind supporting you financially as long as you work — as long as you maintain a job for your add-ons, as I call them,” she shared.

“The bells and whistles; the stuff that they want — as long as you work for that, we will cover the core expenses, but once you graduate, that’s over,” she continued. “Because we were married at 25, you know what I mean? And we feel like because we didn’t have safety nets, we got something cooking.”

[From Yahoo]

I appreciate Kelly’s stance on her kids having a job in college to pay for entertainment and to become financially independent following college. I also understand a parent feeling obligated to help their kid who graduated college into a bad job market. Of all the things I can fault Kelly for, her work ethic is not one of them. I think her kids were raised with both parents working hard and doing what’s asked of them. That said, I kind of have to laugh at feeling sorry for poor Michael losing his writing gig straight out of NYU and struggling to find his next one. I mean, there are other jobs out there he could possibly pick up in the meantime. This is what nepotism babies don’t get. They think struggling means having their guaranteed spot in a writers’ room disappear due to a worldwide pandemic and having to spend their parents money until the next spot opens up for them. While the rest of us graduated from college working two or three jobs waiting tables, slinging drinks or loading trucks at night. Then our days were spent trying to convince employers those degrees they insisted we have would float us until we got the experience they were looking for. Kelly’s right, things are tough out there. But hopefully she and Michael understand that it’s a little tougher for some than others.


Photo credit: Cover Images and Instagram

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

33 Responses to “Kelly Ripa & Mark didn’t plan on supporting kids post-college but ‘times are hard’”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. HeyKay says:

    They are millionaires. Nepotism kids. Kelly Ripa has always struck me as a phoney.

    And yes, it is a lot tougher out there for most people. IMO, the majority of people work several jobs at one time or another because they need to survive, can’t wait or hope for the perfect job.

  2. Nikki says:

    I don’t think you need to turn this into a criticism of nepotism. Both Kelly and Mark have raised their kids with a great work ethic and good values, not easy to do when you are famous. Also, I don’t need to laugh at their son losing his first job due to the pandemic. A person’s first REAL job post college is a big deal, and that must have been a blow to him, from a wealthy family or not. I came from a very hardscrabble background myself, and had told my kids I’d only support them til 18, or would help through college, but all 3 had jobs throughout high school and college. BUT I did help them with health insurance for a while post graduation. It’s NOT an easy time to get on your own 2 feet, and I think parents can give a bit of help without enabling helplessness.

    • girl_ninja says:

      I think this is absolutely an issue of nepotism. Kelly and Mark are very wealthy and generous with their children, which is lovely. But if Michael was a regular middle classer or poor after losing his writing job he would be force to find a job to pay his way. This is just the facts. He has the luxury of not working and looking for the “right gig” while on his parents dime.

      • Nikki says:

        And you are incredibly advantaged over homeless youths, or street kids in India, or people with severe physical challenges. I guess we shouldn’t feel sorry for you for anything that happens in your entire life, because you’ve been born with so many advantages over others and don’t deserve empathy or compassion. That seems to be the mindset here, despite Kelly and Mark and their kids being very hardworking & respectful people.

      • Tessa says:

        Oh, come on. Yes, there is almost always someone who has it worse than me, but these people are probably in the top 1% of the freaking world, which means that 99% of the world has it harder than them, but I should still reserve some sympathy for them?

    • Aurora says:

      I think the way Kelly phrases Michael’s situation is a bit confusing. She says they’re supporting him while he’s out of a job; but later on she adds that all the kids are supposed to fund their amenities (I guess clothing, entertainment, leisure, etc) from the moment they enter college.
      I think Michael is working some non-glamorous job to cater for these particular expenses, leaving esentials to mom & dad. While it’s true this is very generous and far more help than most ‘normal’ kids can expect from their folks (I actually had to support mine while in college); I’m sure most parents would likewise assist their kids if they had Kelly and Mark’s income.
      I see no wrong on ensuring a certain level of comfort for their children -which also translates into security- as long as it props their ladder to a self-responsible, financially independent life. It’d be odd for celebrities to donate yearly thousands or even millions to charitable causes and then dettach from their own children’ struggles as they enter adulthood. I think Mark and Kelly try to make their kids loved and protected without spoiling them.

    • girl_ninja says:

      Really? I’m advantaged over street kids in India? You needed to go to India to make your lame point? Please.

  3. SquiddusMaximus says:

    Her son got a WRITING job directly out of college? Without waiting tables to support a full-time unpaid internship to justify getting an entry-level job 2 years later?

    All while student loans are accruing a mountain of interest that you can’t even begin to pay off for 5 years?

    We truly live in different worlds.

  4. Emmi says:

    I think this goes for a lot of students right now. Even if you find a good job, you might struggle to pay your own way 100% at first, especially considering the housing markets (here in Germany as well) and inflation, energy prices …

  5. Nice Try Sharon says:

    It’s really not easy to make it on your own right away after college, even if you get a job in your field. Employers still only want to pay entry level to 22 year olds. My daughter just graduated last spring with a degree in ASL Interpreting. She works at an elementary school and has great health insurance but a pretty low wage, even though she has an in-demand skill that few people do. We’re still paying her car insurance and she’s DoorDashing. But she has her own apartment and she’s paying for it. She’ll gradually do it all herself but in this economy expecting her to be able to do it all right away is cruel.

  6. SMS says:

    If he lost his job because of the pandemic, then jobs like bartending and serving in a restaurant were probably not viable options. I don’t think it’s fair to criticize kids because their parents are celebrities unless they are constantly milking it for clicks.

    • Sass says:

      This. I have heard literally nothing about their kids until now, which says a lot. It seems as though they’ve raised these kids to be as low key and normal as possible especially considering their upbringing.

      All parents want to give their kids more than what they had in some way or another. My dad was the oldest of 7 and a very poor abusive home. He joined the navy and stayed in for 22 years to support us. His hope was none of us would need to live how he did. A divorce derailed that for us and I did end up dropping out of school, working and paying rent starting at 16 and my credit score at age 38 is only just now barely acceptable because of that background. Like many I’ve worked up to three jobs at once and I have a pile of student and medical debt. My husband came from a poor background like my dad did and until about 5 years ago our life was sacrifice and sacrifice some more to pay bills and give our own children stability, safety, and happiness. Now they’re teenagers and we have similar rules to Kelly and Mark. We will help with bills etc. until you graduate undergrad, but extras you’ll need to pay for. Even after graduating you can live with us if you just can’t swing it but you’ll either need to have a job to help with bills or continue your education. The difference is Kelly and Mark can afford to make the last part of that “stay with us and we will cover you and you don’t need to work.” And that’s a personal choice based on their income.

      • Tessa says:

        Agree. It also breaks my heart to see parents who have the means insist college is too expensive and tell the kids they need to “save up” working min wage dead end jobs so they can maybe get to go to college one day. Most of those kids never make it to a good four year college. And even those who do lose out on the important connections you make in college, the life experiences and mind broadening and job opportunities — which is the real reason college is so important. It’s a lifetime of setbacks for a kid.

  7. Esmerelda says:

    It doesn’t seem that groundbreaking, to be honest, it’s standard upper middle class parenting, no need to announce it.
    Those who have the means provide a safety net for their children, who can dedicate more time and energy to their job search, and thus land a better job. It’s middle class privilege 101.

  8. Twin Falls says:

    I can’t fault them for this. Their approach seems reasonable as to their family circumstances.

  9. Mina_Esq says:

    There is nothing wrong with this. She shouldn’t feel obligated to have to explain their decision. They will always be her kids, and kids should have the security of knowing that their parents will help them out if the need arises. I lived at home until I got married. So did my brother. To this day I feel secure in knowing that my parents will be there for me should I ever need them. It makes you a more trusting adult, IMO.

  10. Jessica says:

    My husband and I have talked about this as well, gone are the days when you could work a minimum wage job and support yourself, the kids are f*cked, with a capital F. It breaks my heart, I don’t know how people are making it right out of college without help or a ton of roommates.

  11. detritus says:

    This tracks. I bet they wanted their kids out at 18 and supporting themselves, old school style.

    I don’t like him, or her.

    • Poppy says:

      I think this is where the nepotism comes in. Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos seem like they have instilled a good work ethic in their kids, but the privilege is in the opportunities afforded to their kids.

  12. Tina Loman says:

    I don’t like Kelly never have. This is shocking. NOT. She doesn’t want her son working some crappy job so she’ll wait until he gets or her connections get him a better easier one. Shocking. He’s a rich kid. They go about spewing how the children are self-sufficient and don’t get any help from them or their name then try to explain why they’re doing nothing. Whatever. They don’t have to talk about their children in the first place. They almost all leave their jobs in the first place. Some I noticed just stopped talking about their kids or moved on to the other younger ones who have jobs or just graduated college.

  13. ME says:

    Well what’s the point of having millions of dollars and not helping out your kids? What is that money for then? Kelly and Mark are going to leave their kids inheritance anyways (I presume) so why not help them out now when they probably need it the most. Just own up to what you are. You’re a rich kid with connections. You have it easier than most. Count yourself lucky.

    • QuiteContrary says:

      This, ME.
      My husband and I don’t have Ripa money but my kids know we’ll help them out whenever they need it. They’re not spoiled or entitled — they thank us all the time for our support.
      They know they’re expected to get jobs after college (and they worked summers since they were 16), but our house is their house, too — they won’t have to ask to live here.

    • Katherine says:

      Exactly

  14. Mcmmom says:

    I understand her point, but I’m a jaded corporate type, so I’m not sure if losing your writing job is exactly the same as not being able to support yourself. One of my college aged kids is grappling with this right now – he’s debating becoming a CPA. I said, “well, if you get a degree in accounting, you will always have a job. The question is whether it’s going to be a job that you hate.” While I of course want my kids to find careers that they enjoy, being able to actually support yourself is important. I know a lot of miserable trust fund babies – living on the dole can eat away at your self esteem.

  15. Barbara says:

    I’m definitely not rich but it was never a question for me whether or not I’d support my child as long as he needed because my parents have always been there for me. So my son lived with me until his mid-20s while he worked full time and saved. Now he owns his own house, his dream truck and just got married so I have no regrets about my own lean years while I provided for him. I think I’d be more offended if these super rich people let their kids struggle.

  16. Sue E Generis says:

    That one son is a photocopy of his dad.

  17. Celeste says:

    I’m not surprised her oldest son is having trouble becoming financially independent. I saw an interview with him and he seemed nice, but really dumb.

  18. Andapanda says:

    My parents weren’t millionaires but I graduated during a recession and it took me a while to find anything. I’m grateful my parents helped so I could spend as much time as possible job hunting. I did odd work here and there, and I was able to get a job in my field in 8 months and then stayed home a bit to save up. Now I own a home in Southern California and have leveraged that first position into a lucrative career. I’m forever grateful for that support. I think if the kids are hard working and not just laying around, help if you’re able is not a bad thing.

  19. FHMom says:

    There is nothing wrong with helping your kids out. That’s what parents do.

  20. Fabiola says:

    I don’t get why people are being so negative towards her helping her kid. My parents helped me when I graduated college. It’s hard starting out. I will do the same for my son.

  21. Katherine says:

    Lack of funds is so limiting, if I had them (both kids and the money), I would definitely give my kids money and not have them worry about that. Studies have proven people on experimental universal basic income payments do much better and thrive and are able to find their passions and have better mental health and are healthier overall, just because they don’t have to worry about their basic wellbeing and can actually look past taking care of their survival and be creative and helpful and just enjoy life. Depending on how much I had to give, I wouldn’t give an excessive amount, but several million – definitely.

  22. sally says:

    Why are people accepting this “bad job market” excuse at face value? Unemployment is extremely low.