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Ripa, 53,celebrated the quarter-century TV milestone alongside co-host and husband of nearly 30 years, Mark Consuelos, during a special "Live with Kelly and Mark" episode on Friday, Feb. 20.

The episode on the nationally syndicated show features appearances from old friends (including frequent co-hostJerry O'Connell), the couple'sson Michael, 28,and voice messages from their other children, Lola, 24, and Joaquin, 22, who couldn't attend.

"The one thing my children, and others, said was, 'Here's to the next 25 years,'" Ripa tells USA TODAY. "I was thinking, 'Next 25 years? If I make it through the next 25 minutes, it'll be incredible.' Listening to people talk about me was torture. Like attending your own funeral."

Kelly Ripa denies abandoning RegisIn her new book, says friendship 'didn't really exist'

Here's what to know about Ripa's milestone:

Ripa recalls the psychic who saw her pregnancy on the first episode

Ripa insists she has very few specific recollections from Feb. 5, 2001, when "All My Children" star succeeded Kathie Lee Gifford as Regis Philbin's permanent co-host and the show became "Live with Regis and Kelly." She does remember psychicChar Margolistelling Ripa on air about her pregnancy with daughter Lola.

"I knew, Mark knew, but no one else knew. Not even our families," says Ripa. "It was too early to tell people. So that's a very cohesive memory."

But many of the other TV moments replayed during the celebration were almost surprises to Ripa, who felt as if she was watching them for the first time.

"I kept saying to Mark, 'I have no memory of that,'" says Ripa. "Then I realized I was either pregnant or nursing for a substantial amount of the time. It's a lot of foggy, grainy memories."

Watching the time on air inspired Ripa to give her younger self one piece of advice:

"It would be, 'Don't wear that,'" Ripa says. "I will say in my defense, maternity clothes in 2026 look very different from those in 2000. The options were very limited in maternity fashion, specifically."

Ripa has passed Regis Philbin in the all-time 'Live!' hosting

Ripa had a complicated relationship with Philbin, whodied in 2020,as she discussed in her 2022 memoir"Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories." Philbin was first paired with Kathie Lee for a morning show in 1985, but "Live!" didn't take its current format until it became nationally syndicated in 1988. Philbin retired in 2011, after 23 hears as the show's headlining host.

Ripa has now been the top host 25 years, taking the chair with co-hosts Michael Strahan (2012–16) and Ryan Seacrest (2017–23), and now Mark.

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"I still think of it as Regis' show, and I'm the interloper," says Ripa. "My producer,Cindy MacDonald,one of my best friends, still calls me 'new girl.' This show is bigger than the host. And then we move on, and other people step into our shoes."

Ripa and Consuelos thought hosting together was 'a terrible idea'

Ripa insists that both she and her husband initially thought permanent joint hosting wouldn't work.

"We thought it was a terrible idea. It's like who wants to see two married people bicker every morning," says Ripa. "It turns out it's very interesting and relatable."

Happy birthday, Kelly Ripa! The beloved TV host turns 55 on Oct. 2, 2025. To celebrate her big day, we've rounded up photos of her life and career through the years.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Ripa and Mark Consuelos cohost "Live with Kelly and Mark." Consuelos, Ripa's husband and former "All My Children" costar, joined "Live with Kelly" as her cohost on April 17, 2023.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Ripa and Consuelos cohost "Live with Kelly and Mark" for the last time at 7 Lincoln Square on April 1, 2025. Ripa marked 25 years on "Live" in 2025, tying Oprah Winfrey's record as the longest-running female daytime talk show host.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Ripa and Consuelos cohost "Live with Kelly and Mark" on Oct. 1, 2024. The couple won, as cohosts, the Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding talk show host in June 2024.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Ripa attended the 91st Academy Awards with her husband, Consuelos. The two tied the knot in May 1996 and have three children together: Michael, Lola, and Joaquin. 

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> From left, Mark Consuelos, Kelly Ripa and former "Live!" cohost Ryan Seacrest attends the 95th annual Academy Awards on March 12, 2023, in Hollywood.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The actress and TV personality officially got her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in October 2015.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Talk about a grand appearance! Ripa came onstage at the 10th annual TV Land Awards in April 2012 in a Catwoman costume. 

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Aw, throwback! Philbin surprised his "Live with Regis" viewers when revealing that Kelly Ripa would be his permanent cohost in 2001. 

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Kelly Ripa's career, from soap operas to 'Live!' TV host success with Mark Consuelos

Happy birthday, Kelly Ripa! The beloved TV host turns 55 on Oct. 2, 2025. To celebrate her big day, we've rounded up photos of her life and career through the years.

The two share intimate home details, including Ripa assuring her "All My Children" alum husband this week that he'd score a "gold medal" for farting while discussing a reportabout "smart underwear."

"We like to put our own experience into these news articles," says Ripa, who says there are no-go discussion areas. "I think we reveal just enough, and sometimes we don't go far enough. I'm sure Mark would say that we always go too far. I'll say that for him."

Ripa says there are no post-show recriminations for what's discussed on air, and, even on the well-choreographed show, there is no "safe" word to avoid topics that may get sensitive.

"We know each other so well, we don't need a 'safe' word. But there's a 'safe' glance," says Ripa. "We already know what the other person is thinking."

Ripa will 'tap out' of future physical show feats

Ripa has been game for on-air physical feats, from scaling a 30-ft wall with Cirque de Soleil to hangingupside down on a bungee cordwith magician David Blaine.

In 2012, Ripa and executive producer Michael Gelman consumed copious amounts of alcohol and went night skiing with torches.

"That was definitely dangerous, particularly because we had all consumed alcohol before we did it," says Ripa. "We have this theory that as long as we're doing it on camera, nothing bad can happen."

Ripa admits she'll be cutting back on the TV stunts going forward.

"I'm older and wiser and more afraid of breaking a hip," says Ripa. "Now, I'd probably tap out."

Ripa has no fears of A.I. couple replacement

Ripa does not say how long she'll continue with "Live!," but the co-host does not fear being pushed out by A.I. simulations.

"There are certain things that A.I. cannot recreate," Ripa says. "A.I. could never be as exciting or as boring as we are on anything."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Kelly Ripa hits 25 years on 'Live!', still loves oversharing with Mark

Slavery Exhibit Removed

The ruling Friday morning came as restoration work begun Thursdayresumedat the site of the former President's House. Senior U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe had set a 5 p.m. Friday deadline for its completion, and she held to that timeline, even as the administration appeals her decision.

The Interior Department has said in court papers that it planned to replace the exhibit with its own narrative on slavery, as the administration works to remove information that it deems"disparaging" to Americansfrom federal properties. Rufe said it must work with the city on new material under a longstanding cooperative agreement.

"As this court established, "(t)he government can convey a different message without restraint elsewhere if it so pleases, but it cannot do so to the President's House until it follows the law and consults with the city," Rufe, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush, said in Friday's opinion.

In its own filing Friday to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Justice Department called her ruling "extraordinary" and "an improper intrusion on the workings of a co-equal branch of government."

The appeals court asked the city to respond to the request for an emergency stay of Rufe's order.

One of the panels being rehung Friday morning — titled "History Lost & Found" — details the surprising discovery of artifacts from the building during an archaeological dig in the early 2000s, as work was being done on a new pavilion for the Liberty Bell.

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National Park Service employees worked with care on the exhibits, including those on the nine people enslaved by George and Martha Washington in the 1790s, when Philadelphia served as the nation's capital. The Park Service describes theoutdoor exhibitas one "that examines the paradox between slavery and freedom in the founding of the nation."

The Trump administration abruptly removed the panels in January, leading the city and other advocates to file suit. They had been on display since 2010, the result of years of research and collaboration between the city, the Park Service, historians and other private parties.

Rufe, in denying the federal government's request for a delay, said that side was unlikely to succeed at trial. And she said the public –- and the city's reputation -- was being harmed with each passing day.

The city, she said, "is responsible for the public trust in the city's telling of its own history, its own integrity in telling that history, and preventing erasure of that history, particularly in advance of the semiquincentennial."

Millions of people are expected to visit Philadelphia, the nation's birthplace, this year for the 250th anniversary of the country's founding in 1776.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia, which is representing the administration in court, declined to comment on the restoration work Friday.

Kimberly Gegner, a teacher from Philadelphia, visited the site Friday with some of her 6th- to 9th-grade students. As a Black American, she said, it had pained her to see the history removed. But she was grateful to see it going back up.

"This whole case and what happened here — the taking it down and how Mayor Parker and other Pennsylvanians had to go to court to have it restored — is an excellent case of how the Constitution was applied to win this case for Philadelphia," she said.

Most days, the country's top newspapers have a wide range of photos gracing their front pages. But on Friday, every image topping the British front pages was identical:

A snap ofAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor, slouched in the back of a car, looking shell-shocked on his 66th birthday as he left the police station.

On Thursday, Mountbatten-Windsor became the first member of the UK royal family to bearrestedin modern history, spending more than 10 hours in police custody at a station in the small town of Aylsham, England, about an hour away from his new home on the royal Sandringham Estate.

"The photo gods were on my side yesterday," said Phil Noble, a senior photographer at Reuters news agency who captured the incredible image.

Noble, based in northern England, drove roughly five hours south to Norfolk on Thursday morning – racing to get there after the news of the arrest broke.

Through guesswork and some well-placed sources, his two-person team zeroed in what they thoughtmightbe the correct police station,maybe.There are roughly 20 Thames Valley Police stations where the former prince could have been taken, so they had to wait to see.

"This was probably the fourth or fifth police station that Reuters had visited that night," Noble said. "When I arrived, it didn't look anything out of the ordinary. There was no cars. There was no increased activity."

"To be honest, just before he arrived, I'd left to go back to the hotel… and my colleague Marissa messaged me and said, 'Look, two cars have just arrived I think you should come back,'" Nobel said candidly in a video explaining how he got the shot.

Then the race really began. The Reuters photographer said he "spun the car around, got back, and within a minute of arriving back, the shutters on the garage at the police station came up and two cars left. And one of them, he (Mountbatten-Windsor) was in."

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Stakeout photography has a lot of variables, Noble explained. Part of the job is preparation, skill and experience. It also requires a willingness to stand on the side of a British country road in the dark for hours at a time, without knowing if it will lead to anything noteworthy.

"Probably half an hour before I took the photo, I'd done some test shots of other cars leaving the police station, so I had a rough idea of… the camera settings maybe," explained Noble, who has been working at Reuters for more than 20 years. Before that, he worked in photography at the UK's Press Association and the Manchester Evening News.

"But it's still, you know, more than luck than judgment when the car comes out. You've got to try and guess where he's sitting, which side of the car is he? Is he in the front? Is he in the back? Will the flash recycle in time?"

He took six frames in all, according to Reuters. Two were blank, one was out of focus and two showed police officers. But one captured the extraordinary moment.

"For every car shot that you do, the hit rate is really, really low," he added. "So last night was, it was one of those, kind of, pinch-me moments where you look at the back of the camera, you're tired, it's been a long day… you can't believe that you've got him."

Mountbatten-Windsor wasreleased "under investigation"late Thursday evening. Police have not said what led them to arrest the former prince on suspicion of misconduct in public office, but he previously spent a decade as UK trade envoy starting in 2001. He stepped down in 2011 after coming under fire over his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The former prince has not publicly responded to the latest allegations to emerge after the US Department of Justice released millions of documents related to Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied all allegations of wrongdoing and said he never witnessed or suspected any of the behavior that Epstein was accused of.

Asked about the photo, Noble said it's no work of art, but it's definitely among the most newsworthy he has ever snapped.

"Best photo-photo? It's probably not. You know, it's a man shot at night through the back of a windscreen," Noble said, laughing a bit. "Is that the best photo I've ever taken? No. Is it up there with one of the most important? A hundred percent."

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At least 72 new measles cases have been confirmed in the last week, according to updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So far this year, there have been total of 982 cases in 26 states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

New map shows how to spot the measles risk level in your ZIP code

Just six measles cases were reported among international travelers so far this year, according to CDC data.

About 94% of cases are among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, the CDC said.

Meanwhile, 3% of cases are among those who have received just one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and 4% of cases are among those who received the recommended two doses, according to the CDC.

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The current measles situation in the U.S. is partly being driven by a large outbreak in South Carolina that began last year, with 962 cases recorded as of Friday, according tostate health officials.

Last year, the U.S. recorded 2,281 measles cases, which is the highest number of national cases in 33 years, according to the CDC.

It also marked the first U.S. deaths recorded from measles in a decade,two among school-aged unvaccinated childrenin Texas anda third among an unvaccinated adultin New Mexico.

The CDC currentlyrecommendspeople receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective against measles, the CDC said.

However, federal data shows vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years. During the 2024-2025 school year,92.5% of kindergartners received the MMR vaccine, according to data. This is lower than the 92.7% seen in the previous school year and the 95.2% seen in the 2019-2020 school year, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last month marked one year since a measles outbreak began in West Texas, with infections soon spreading to neighboring counties and other states.

Public health expertspreviously told ABC Newsthat if cases in other states are found to be linked to the cases in Texas, it would mean the virus has been spreading for a year, which could lead to a loss of elimination status.

The couple, who dated for 10 months before marrying in 2004, have broken up and reconciled as coparents in recent years.

Gayheart, 54,filed for divorce from Danein 2018 after 14 years of marriage, butfiled to dismiss the divorcein March 2025, according toE!andPeople. The model, who shares daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, with the "Euphoria" actor, dismissed the filing a month before Dane publicly revealed his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosis.

Actor Eric Dane has died following a battle with ALS. He was 53. He leaves behind two daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, and wife Rebecca Gayheart. Look back at the family through the years when they joined together in the public eye.

Actress Rebecca Gayheart and actor Eric Dane attend the Chrysalis 3rd annual Butterfly Ball at a private residence on April 17, 2004, in Beverly Hills, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rebecca Gayheart and husband Eric Dane attend the afterparty for the opening night of "Steel Magnolias" on Broadway on April 4, 2005, in New York City. The pair married in 2004.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart arrive at the premiere of A&E original film "Wedding Wars" at the ArcLight Theater Dec. 4, 2006, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart watch the show at the 6th annual General Motors TEN event at Paramount Studios on Feb. 20, 2007, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane arrive at the premiere of New Line Cinema's "Valentine's Day" held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Feb. 8, 2010, in Hollywood, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rebecca Gayheart, Eric Dane, Billie Beatrice Dane, Georgia Dane and guests attend the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Built To Amaze! show on March 21, 2013, in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Georgia Dane, Rebecca Gayheart, Eric Dane and Billie Beatrice Dane attend Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival at Madison Square Garden on March 23, 2013, in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rebecca Gayheart, Eric Dane and their daughters attend the Huggies Snug & Dry and Baby2Baby Mother's Day Garden Party held on April 27, 2013, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> From left: Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart, Georgia Dane and Billie Beatrice Dane attend the 14th annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on June 6, 2015, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rebecca Gayheart, Eric Dane and their family attend Amazon Video's Tumble Leaf Family Fun Day hosted by Au Fudge on Sept. 13, 2015, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> From left: Billie Beatrice Dane, Rebecca Gayheart, Georgia Dane and Eric Dane attend the 15th annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball at a private residence on June 11, 2016, in Brentwood, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> From left: Rebecca Gayheart, Eric Dane, Billie Beatrice Dane and Georgia Dane attend the 16th annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on June 3, 2017, in Brentwood, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> From left: Eric White, Patricia Arquette, Rosetta Getty, June Getty, Balthazar Getty, Violet Getty, Eric Dane, Billie Beatrice Dane, Rebecca Gayheart and Georgia Dane at the 16th annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on June 3, 2017, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Eric Dane and his daughters Billie Beatrice Dane and Georgia Dane attend the Los Angeles premiere of "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, on May 30, 2024.

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Eric Dane's family journey in photos

Actor Eric Dane has died following a battle with ALS. He was 53. He leaves behind two daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, and wife Rebecca Gayheart. Look back at the family through the years when they joined together in the public eye.Actress Rebecca Gayheart and actorEric Daneattend the Chrysalis 3rd annual Butterfly Ball at a private residence on April 17, 2004, in Beverly Hills, California.

Eric Dane, 'Grey's Anatomy' star,dies at 53 following ALS battle

Gayheart toldE!in April –a day before Dane's announcement– that the pair were still the "best of friends" and that she still looks at her marriage as a "huge success" despite the couple no longer being together.

"I think it's important to not look at a relationship that ends as a failure. It's just a season. It wasn't a failure," she continued. "We were married for, I mean, we are still married, but together for 15 years, and we had two beautiful kids. So I think that's a successful relationship, and that's how we look at it."

Two months after revealing his diagnosis, Dane, 53, toldDiane Sawyerthat Gayheart is the first person he calls when he needs support. "I talk to her every day," he said. "And she is probably my biggest champion, my most stalwart supporter, and I lean on her."

Eric Dane praisedas 'heroic' in tributes from 'Euphoria,' 'Charmed' costars

On a November episode of the "Broad Ideas" podcast, she further explained her decision to call off the divorce, with the actress saying she wanted to set an example for their daughters.

"I am definitely trying to show them that we show up for people no matter what. And he is our family. He is your father," she said, though admitting the situation is "complicated."

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She added: "We show up and we try to do it with some dignity and some grace and just get through it. And that we will get through it the best we can."

Eric Dane was perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan, aka "McSteamy," in the ABC medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," but he also has other memorable roles under his belt.

Revisit the late actor's best roles, starting with a scene from "Grey's Anatomy" with Ellen Pompeo in 2006.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Hamish Linklater, Eric Dane and Russell Hornsby, stars of ABC medical drama "Gideon's Crossing," during a press tour party in July 17, 2000, in Pasadena.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Members of the cast of "Burlesque": Eric Dane, Stanley Tucci, Christina Aguilera, Cher, Cam Gigandet and Julianne Hough in a portrait made at the Four Seasons Hote in 2010.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Adam Baldwin and Eric Dane in 2014's "The Last Ship."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

How Eric Dane became a TV and film favorite. His best roles

Eric Dane was perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan, aka "McSteamy," in the ABC medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," but he also has other memorable roles under his belt.Revisit the late actor's best roles, starting with a scene from "Grey's Anatomy" with Ellen Pompeo in 2006.

In December, Gayheart penned an essay forThe Cut, writing that the family "spending all this time together" was "nice" and "really positive" for their kids, though, "It's not that they have the hopes of us being together – kids always dream of their parents getting back together, and I think now ours don't because they understand the reality of the situation."

Rebecca Gayheart defends'complicated' relationship with Eric Dane

She admitted that their relationship may be "confusing for people."

"It's a very complicated relationship," she told the outlet. "Our love may not be romantic, but it's a familial love."

Dane died Thursday, Feb. 19, at age 53, his representative, Melissa Bank, confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY.

"With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS," the statement said. "He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world.

"He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always," the statement concluded. "Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he's received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time."

Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Eric Dane death – Rebecca Gayheart on husband, his ALS battle