Kelly Ripa Admits She Stopped Talking to Kids After Holiday Photo Dispute

Kelly Ripa is opening up about a relatable family conflict that unfolded over the holidays. The longtime morning show host revealed on her Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast that she gave her three adult children the silent treatment after a heated disagreement about Instagram photos.

A Christmas Carousel Gone Wrong

Ripa explained that she wanted to post a slideshow of family pictures on Instagram during Christmas. What should have been a simple task quickly turned into an argument when her children—Michael, 28, Lola, 24, and Joaquin, 22—refused to approve certain images.

“I stopped talking to my kids for about four hours on Christmas because of the fighting and the arguing,” Ripa admitted. “They kept saying, ‘You can’t use that picture of me.’ And I was like, ‘Guys, it’s just a picture of us at church. It’s not that deep.’”

Family Photo Frustrations

This isn’t the first time Ripa has clashed with her children over family photos. In December, she and her husband, Live with Kelly and Mark co-host Mark Consuelos, revealed they had cut their kids out of their 2025 Christmas card.

“We’re tired of getting all the photos approved by our kids every year,” Consuelos told People. Ripa added that while her children felt “slighted,” she stood by the decision.

Instead, the couple posed with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, a move Ripa said left Consuelos “the happiest I’ve ever seen him in a Christmas card.”

Creative Alternatives

Over the years, Ripa and Consuelos have found playful ways to handle their children’s reluctance. One year, they posed with Consuelos’ Riverdale castmates. Looking ahead, Ripa said her dream is to feature the Radio City Rockettes in a future card.

“Every year I say, ‘We gotta get a picture with the Rockettes,’ but the timing never works out,” she explained. “Maybe this year we’ll do it for next year’s card.”

A Relatable Parenting Moment

Despite the disagreements, Ripa’s candid admission highlights the challenges many parents face when trying to capture family memories. Her humor and honesty about the situation resonated with listeners, showing that even celebrity families deal with everyday frustrations.