Kelly Ripa celebrates her son Joaquin turning 20 by sharing adorable throwback photos

Kelly Ripa paid a loving tribute to her youngest son, Joaquin, in celebration of his 20th birthday by sharing a strew of adorable throwback photos on her Instagram stories on Friday.

The talented TV personality, 52, additionally penned sweet captions onto some of the snaps, including, ‘Happy birthday baby!’

The talk show host also shares son, Michael, 25, and daughter, Lola, 21, with her husband and Riverdale actor, Mark Consuelos, 51, whom she tied the knot with back in 1996.

The All My Children alum will soon become a permanent co-host alongside his wife after Ryan Seacrest announced his departure from LIVE, thus rebranding the show as Live With Kelly And Mark.

In one of the recent uploads, Kelly could be seen flashing a cheerful smile towards the camera as she paused for a quick selfie with Joaquin, who sported a University of Michigan sweatshirt in reference to the college he is currently attending.

Throwback: In one of the photos, a younger Joaquin could be seen sitting in a seat and sharing a quick smile with ‘Happy birthday’ added over the picture 

Ripa also donned the school colors to show her support, and could be seen wearing a black puffer jacket along with a vibrant yellow sweatshirt underneath. 

Joaquin held up his hand to show off a large ring on his finger that he had received after participating in his university’s wrestling championship that took place last year in October. 

A few other snaps had been taken when he was younger, and the actress added the number ’20’ in celebration of her son turning one year older. 

In another photo, Kelly could be seen embracing her youngest child and planting a gentle kiss on top of his head as they were surrounded by nature and numerous budding rose bushes. 

The proud mother of three also uploaded a cute picture that included her husband, Mark, hugging Joaquin from behind as they both held happy smiles. ‘Happy birthday Joaquin,’ she added in a short caption towards the bottom of the photo. 

During a recent episode of Live With Kelly And Ryan that aired earlier on Friday, the blonde beauty gushed, per People, ‘It is my son’s 20th birthday today. The newborn.’ 

She added that she has been watching ‘home videos’ that were taken when her children were much younger and explained, ‘When I look at him, when I look at them, that’s how I see them. Only now they’re much bigger.’

Ryan then questioned his co-host about parenthood and asked, ‘Does it go by in a flash? I know it’s a long journey,’ which prompted her to admit, ‘No, it’s a flash. It’s a minute.’  

Growing up: A few other snaps had been taken when he was younger, and the actress added the number ’20’ in celebration of the special day

Proud mother: During a recent episode of Live With Kelly And Ryan that aired earlier on Friday, the blonde beauty gushed, per People , ‘It is my son’s 20th birthday today. The newborn’ 

Memorable moments: In another photo, Kelly could be seen embracing her youngest child and planting a gentle kiss on top of his head as they were surrounded by budding rose bushes

Father son duo: The proud mother of three also uploaded a cute picture that included her husband, Mark, hugging Joaquin from behind as they both held happy smiles

During an interview with E! News’ Daily Pop, Ripa recalled a humorous moment when both she and Mark flew to Michigan to cheer on Joaquin during a wrestling match. 

‘We came to see one of our son’s sporting events at the University of Michigan and all we did was walk up to him,’ she stated. 

‘We’re like, ‘Oh, we’ll meet you at your dorm.’ And he’s like, ‘You cannot meet me at my dorm and you cannot be out front. And put your masks on your face. And nobody can know we’re together,’ the TV personality jokingly added. 

The beauty added to the publication that their children sometimes find both herself and her husband, ‘lame and old and embarrassing and humiliating.’ 

Some of the last snaps shared onto her Instagram stories showed another loving throwback photo of her son and Mark posing for a quick picture during an outing in the big apple. 

The star additionally concluded the birthday tribute with both current day photos of Joaquin and also a snap of all three of her children together in the past.  

Amid an episode of Live With Kelly And Ryan in 2021, she opened up about the emotions she had felt when dropping her youngest child off at college in Michigan. 

‘We dropped him off at school and we gave him a hug, it was actually brutally painful,’ she recalled, according to People. 

Goodbye teenage years: She added on Live With Kelly And Ryan that she has been watching ‘home videos’ that were taken when her children were much younger and explained, ‘When I look at him, when I look at them, that’s how I see them. Only now they’re much bigger’

In the past: Some of the last snaps shared onto her Instagram stories showed another loving throwback photo of her son and Mark posing for a quick picture during an outing in the big apple

Happy family: The star additionally concluded the birthday tribute with both current day photos of Joaquin and also a snap of all three of her children together in the past

Funny: The beauty told E! News’ Daily Pop that their children sometimes find both herself and her husband, ‘lame and old and embarrassing and humiliating’ 

‘And I said, ‘I did not realize that 18 years would go so fast.’ And he didn’t say anything, he was just giving me a hug,’ Kelly expressed. ‘But he turned to walk away and I said, ‘Wait, Joaquin, one more!’ And he kept walking. And I knew that it was happening to him too, the emotion.’ 

‘It’s one of those things where you can never be ready,’ the talented star added. ‘We’ve done it before, but the other two, they stayed in New York, so we knew they were there, even though their visits weren’t as frequent as we thought.’ 

While ringing in her son’s 20th birthday, Kelly and her husband have also been celebrating a new milestone together. 

After Ryan Seacrest’s announcement that he will be exiting LIVE after co-hosting the show for six years, it was also revealed that Ripa’s husband, Mark, will be taking his place. The actor has filled in occasionally on the talk show in the past, with those episodes receiving high ratings. 

During an interview with Us Weekly published on Wednesday, the actress excitedly stated, ‘We figured that since we started our careers together, we might as well finish them together.’ 

The two lovebirds notably crossed paths on ABC’s All My Children in 1995, and tied the knot the following year. 

A milestone: Mark will be joining his wife as a permanent co-host on LIVE, thus rebranding the talk show as Live With Kelly And Mark after Ryan Seacrest’s exit that will take place after the spring season; the couple seen in September 2022 in NYC

Respect: Ryan revealed his departure during an episode that aired on February 16, and gushed that his experience has been ‘bittersweet’ and that he ‘looks up to’ his co-host; the duo seen in June 2021 hosting the talk show 

‘We figured the idea ‘what could possibly go wrong?’ is something we’d definitely like to explore. Now, we have the chance.’ 

She continued, ‘So many wonderful moments have happened while with ABC, so it only makes sense for us to come full circle and work together once again or the show that has given us so much joy and so many years of memories.’ 

Ryan revealed his departure during an episode that aired on February 16, and gushed that his experience has been ‘bittersweet’ and that he ‘looks up to’ his co-host.

Kelly then told the star, who will be returning to the West Coast to host the upcoming 21st season of American Idol, ‘You are a gem. You are one of my best friends…’