Think you’ve seen "Everything"? You haven’t seen Elizabeth Holmes like this: being played by Kelly Ripa while spoofing "The Traitors," the reality series known for rewarding deceit.
The costume is one of several pop culture moments that Ripa and her co-host and husband, Mark Consuelos, will parody for “Live’s Halloween Shockin’ Eve” on Friday, Oct. 30 (check local listings). The “All My Children” alums will put their own spin on viral moments and trends, including Taylor Swift making her way to the Eras’ stage via a cleaning cart, Spider-Man, “Toy Story,” “Obsession” and squishy toys. The crazes sometimes stump the hosts, they confess.
“As we get older, we don't know what the hell is going on,” Consuelos, 55, says playfully to USA TODAY.
“Ninety-percent
of what we were, we spent screaming, ‘What are we?’” adds Ripa, 56, at his side.
With the Swift bit, “I had no idea what we were doing,” Consuelos confesses. “They said, ‘Get in here. Just get in here and look around, do this and do that.'"
But they trust the show’s crew, including executive producer Michael Gelman.
“We start working on the show literally Nov. 1,” Gelman says in an interview. “The day after the old Halloween show and collecting things that are building in pop culture, and sometimes we're changing things up to the very last minute because things are happening or becoming talked about."
Kelly Ripa to dress up as Elizabeth Holmes again
Which brings us to Holmes, subject of Nathan Fielder’s documentary, “You Can See Everything,” seemingly on everyone’s lips. Holmes, the 42-year-old Theranos founder convicted on four counts of fraud, is familiar territory for Ripa. She inhaled sulfur hexafluoride to emulate Holmes’ deep voice for the 2021 Halloween show.
But Holmes’ voice now is “not as deep as it once was,” Ripa observes, lowering her timbre. “There's a clipped nature to her voice. But it's not as deep as it was when I was Elizabeth Holmes the first time many years ago.”
“She was much more imitatable several years ago,” Ripa adds, resuming her normal pitch. “Now, it's more of a her being a normal person, which is harder.”
“Your voice is fantastic,” Consuelos praises. “You've got the whole thing going on.”
In an image shared exclusively with USA TODAY, Ripa matches Holmes' wide-eyed stare while donning a honey-colored wig. But there is one "sad thing" about her portrayal, Ripa reveals.
"We got special contact lenses, and in the grand tradition of me wearing contact lenses, we could not get them into my eyes," Ripa says. "My eyes reject contact lenses. Even my contact lenses for vision my eyes reject. So everything but the contact lenses is pretty Elizabeth Holmes-accurate, I would say."
And though she'll be dressing up as Holmes, the hosts have yet to screen “You Can See Everything,” due to the film’s popularity. "Maybe they'll mistake me for Elizabeth Holmes [after my portrayal] and just allow me to come into the theater without a ticket," Ripa jokes.
Ryan Seacrest returns to 'Live' for Halloween episode
This year’s theme, a play on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, helmed annually by Ripa’s former “Live” cohost Ryan Seacrest, presents the perfect opportunity for his return.
Seacrest, who hosted “Live” from 2017-2023, is "part of the opening sequence," Gelman shares.
"He is literally like our oldest child," Ripa says of Seacrest. "So there's very little daylight between us. Working with him again is, it's as if he never left."
Lisa Rinna and Jerry O’Connell will also appear to judge the episode’s audience costume contest.
Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos make 'Live' Halloween history
The show itself will feature more than 60 getups and the most changes during an episode in the show’s history.
“Our commercial breaks are not long enough for our actual costume changes, historically,” Ripa says. “So it's really a group effort, where hair, makeup, and wardrobe are working.”
It’s like "Saturday Night Live," Ripa says, comparing it to her turn as host of NBC’s sketch show in 2003. "And sometimes I'm not even sure what I'm doing, you know? And it's not until we're walking out on stage that they're like, 'Remember, you're 'Heated Rivalry,' and they're trying to remind us what we are, because we have no idea what we are."
Consuelos says "The Odyssey" will be his biggest undertaking, thanks to a costume with numerous components, but Ripa deems that one her "easiest costume."
"I'm looking forward to 'The Odyssey,'" she says. "I feel like I may have time to have breakfast."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kelly Ripa transforms into Elizabeth Holmes for 'Live' Halloween costume | Exclusive
