Kelly Ripa Hilariously Recreates 17-Year-Old Photo With Her Now Grown Up Kids
In the ultimate ‘throwback,’ Kelly Ripa and her three kids – Lola, Joaquin, and Michael Consuelos – reenacted a photo taken nearly two decades ago, and every detail was spot-on.
“TBT 2003 vs 2020,” Kelly Ripa captioned the photos she uploaded on Aug. 20. In the first picture, the one from 2003, the then-32-year-old Kelly looks tired. She’s holding her youngest son, Joaquin Consuelos. He must have been just a few months old, and he does not look happy to be on the beach. His older brother, Michael Consuelos, looks towards the camera while sister Lola Consuelos gazes off into the water. Presumably, Kelly’s hubby Mark Consuelos is the one taking the picture.
Fast-forward to today, to when the fam recreated this photo. Kelly’s now 49, but she’s still big enough to hold her baby boy (even though Joaquin is now 17.) Michael, 23, now has facial hair, and Lola, 19, is old enough to vote. They still captured the energy from the original photo, with Lola still facing away from the camera while Michael gazes directly at it. However, the MVP of the picture is Kelly. She was able to channel the exhaustion of being a mother of three young children to recreate the same look from 17 years ago. Perhaps it’s an exhaustion that one never really forgets?
Though Kelly and Mark, 49, both absolutely adore their children, they recently spoke about how they’re looking forward to having the house all to themselves. “We had our kids so young — we’d only been married for one year when we had Michael, so we have had kids pretty much our entire marriage,” Kelly said when speaking to PEOPLE as part of its Family Issue. “So when it comes to an empty nest, we’re looking forward to it, honestly.” Mark added, “, “Rob Lowe says that once your kids leave, you pretty much never put clothes on ever again; you’re just naked all the time.”
Their eldest son, Michael, recently graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Lola’s currently enrolled in NYU, and Joaquin will embark on his own college journey in 2021. Kelly said that their youngest “sparks all the debates in the house,” but things don’t get too heated. “We love each other — but we also really like each other, and we respect each other. I don’t think any amount of college or growing up will take that away from us.”
Kelly shared a different kind of “throwback” on Mother’s Day. She posted a picture taken in the early 1970s’ of her alongside mother Ester and sister Linda. Ester’s hair was high enough to reach heaven, while Kelly sported a pair of precious pigtails. No word if she plans on recreating that picture with her greying locks.