Sarah Michelle Gellar Says Kelly Ripa Was at 'a Complete Loss for Words' the Day She Met Mark Consuelos: 'I Was There!'

Mar. 15, 2025

(L-R) Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.Photo:Paul Archuleta/Getty; John Nacion/FilmMagic

Paul Archuleta/Getty; John Nacion/FilmMagic

Sarah Michelle Gellarwitnessed the momentKelly Ripamet her now husbandMark Consuelos.

“I will never, ever forget the story — this is a true story, you can tell me if I tell it wrong — but I was, I guess I was in the hair and makeup,” Gellar, 47, recalled. “And Kelly comes in. This is the ‘90s, so she has those huge Velcro rollers she used to wear in her hair. And she comes running in, she’s like, ‘OH MY GOD!’ I’m like, ‘What happened?’ she’s like, ‘There’s the most beautiful man in the rehearsal hall. I have never… I’m in love!’ And that is you!”

(L) Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa in ‘All My Children’.Ann Limongello/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Ann Limongello/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

To Gellar’s surprise, Consuelos seemed unaware of Ripa’s touching first impression. After blushing at Ripa calling him a “beautiful man,” Gellar added that Ripa “couldn’t speak” when they first crossed paths.

“She literally saw you, and this girl is never at a loss for words. She was at a complete loss for words,” she laughed as Ripa added, “Thank God I recovered.”

Ripa and Consuelos met athis auditionforAll My Childrenin 1995. At the time, the show was looking for an actor to cast as the love interest for Ripa’s character Hayley Vaughan.

When the casting director showed her Consuelos' picture, Ripa had a premonition.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.Eugene Gologursky/Getty

Eugene Gologursky/Getty

“When I saw him, the photograph of him, I saw my entire future with him flash before [my eyes] — like I saw it,“she revealed in 2018onLunch with Bruce. “And I don’t believe in any of that and now I do because of that moment.”

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However, Consuelos had no idea he even had a chance with Ripa after their steamy screen test. “I thought she was adorable, hot and sexy and all that stuff, but I was very focused — I didn’t really think I had a chance with her, so I wasn’t really focused on that,” hetold HuffPost Live.

The two went on to elope in 1996 and eventually welcomed their now-adult children: Michael, 27, Lola, 23, and Joaquin, 21.

source: people.com