Could Kelly Ripa Take 'Live' to L.A.? Find Out Why She's Considering a Move

Kelly Ripa tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story that her daughter wants to move to attend college in California

Published on May 11, 2016 07:10 PM

Could Kelly Ripa one day bring Live to sunny California? The co-host has at least one person at home who is likely pulling for that idea – her 14-year-old daughter, Lola.

“Lola, I am certain, will go to college in California,” Ripa tells PEOPLE in an interview for this week’s cover story. “She’s been wanting to live in California since she saw that Hannah Montana movie a thousand years ago.”

That could potentially make moving Live from New York to Los Angeles an attractive option. And on Wednesday’s episode, Ripa, 45, joked about potentially moving the show to L.A. down the road after Michael Strahan‘s exit.

“My daughter was like, ‘OMG, are we moving to L.A.? Should I start applying to schools now? Because I know all the schools out there!'” Ripa said.

Asked by Strahan if she would seriously consider moving the show, she responded, “Eventually I would have to go, right? And then I could be a Hollywood wife.”

• To read the full interview with Kelly Ripa, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday

But there is one family reason a potential L.A. move might not be in the cards, at least for the next few years. Ripa’s son Michael, 18, will attend college in New York, and she tells PEOPLE she and husband Mark Consuelos would like to remain close to him. Her youngest, Joaquin, 13 will soon be applying to high schools.

Ripa is currently on the hunt for a new co-host to replace Strahan, whose final day on the show is Friday. A move to L.A. could potentially open up a whole slew of California-based candidates for the position (unless of course, her New York-based friend Anderson Cooper were tapped for the role).

Kelly Ripa on Live! Drama: ‘I Don’t Think of Anybody as a Monster or Out to Get Me’

In the meantime, Jimmy Kimmel will co-host alongside Ripa on Monday, the first show following Strahan’s exit. Other guest co-hosts coming up include Fred Savage, Seal and Andy Cohen.

Live With Kelly and Michael airs weekdays (check local listings).