Kelly Ripa (born October 2, 1970) is an American actress and talk show host, best known as the co-host of the syndicated morning show Live! since 2001, alongside a rotating cast of partners including Regis Philbin, Michael Strahan, Ryan Seacrest, and her husband, Mark Consuelos. Before her talk show fame, she played Hayley Vaughan on the soap opera All My Children (1990–2002, 2010) and starred in the sitcom Hope & Faith (2003–2006). Raised in Stratford, New Jersey, Ripa was discovered during a high school production of The Ugly Duckling, which led her to drop out of college and move to New York City to pursue acting. She joined Live! in February 2001 after Regis Philbin chose her from a tryout, and her energetic chemistry with him—nicknamed "Pippa"—boosted the show's young-audience demographics by 80% and attracted an average of 6 million daily viewers. In 2014, The Hollywood Reporter named her one of the Most Powerful People in Media, and she and Consuelos own the production company Milojo.