Kelly Ripa Shares the Positives of Being an Empty Nester: 'Nudity in the Household Whenever You Want'

Published: May 26, 2025

Kelly Ripa is embracing life as an empty nester, and she's not holding back on the benefits. The talk show host recently celebrated her youngest son Joaquin's graduation from the University of Michigan, and she's thrilled to have the freedom to do as she pleases.

During a recent episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, Ripa shared her thoughts on becoming an empty nester. "Let me just say this," she said. "The first one is like a bit of a shock. Each one, like the second one, is like, no big deal. Third one, for 24 to 48 hours, you're gonna be like, 'Oh my gosh, what have we done now? Now it's just us.'"

Ripa, who shares three children with husband Mark Consuelos, joked that one of the best things about being an empty nester is the freedom to walk around the house naked whenever she wants. "And then your entire life becomes nudity in the household wherever you want," she said, causing her guest Amanda Peet to laugh in surprise.

Ripa and Consuelos, who have been married since 1996, celebrated Joaquin's graduation with a days-long celebration, which included a showcase at the University of Michigan's theater department and a family photo shoot. Ripa joked that in one of their family photos, "We're all just going through the motions at this point."

Ripa's comments come just days after she celebrated her son's graduation on social media, sharing a heartfelt post about her pride and joy. "Anyway, we just returned from Ann Arbor, Michigan, where our newborn baby graduated university. That's right, we're done!" she wrote.

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