Kelly Ripa admits she’s still “bothered” that husband Mark Consuelos was paid more than her when he joined All My Children about five years after she had.
Speaking with Bustle on Monday, the talk show host reflected on the early stages of her career and what it taught her.
“I am less tolerant of people’s bulls***,” Ripa cracked when asked how much she has changed as person since she was 28-years-old, saying she has no patience for things “like misogyny, with being underpaid in your workspace.”
The Live with Kelly and Ryan host explained, “I watched my husband who had no acting experience when he got his job at All My Children, much the same way I had no acting experience. But I got my job in 1990 and I think he got his job in ’95. And he was paid more than me immediately.”
“I just couldn’t believe how quickly they were willing to pay the man more than the woman,” she remarked. “It’s bothered me ever since.”
When asked what advice she’d give her younger self, the Emmy winner said she’d tell 28-year-old Kelly to listen to her intuition.
“If something doesn’t feel right, it’s because it’s not right. And if you think you’re about to get screwed in a work deal, you are,” she added.
Ripa starred as Hayley Vaughan on All My Children from 1990 to 2002 while Consuelos starred as Mateo Santos from 1995 to 2002. Both returned to celebrate the show’s 40th anniversary in 2010.