Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa to Co-Host LIVE… For Good!
The popular morning chatfest LIVE WITH KELLY AND RYAN will be getting a new co-host and a new title when host Ryan Seacrest exits the syndicated show after six seasons later this spring. And the new man who will be taking the seat next to Kelly Ripa (Hayley, ALL MY CHILDREN) will be none other than her husband, Mark Consuelos (Mateo)! The news was first reported by Deadline.
Ripa, who has hosted the show since 2001, has occasionally been joined by her husband on the air several times over the years when Consuelos filled in as a guest host. But now that he’ll officially be half of the permanent hosting team, the show will be rebranded as LIVE WITH KELLY AND MARK.
Shortly after the news was announced, Consuelos and Ripa both made hilarious Instagram posts wishing her “work husband” well and joking about their upcoming office life together. “Congrats on your next chapter, Ryan,” wrote Consuelos. “I love you like a brother. I know I have some big shoes to fill… well, actually, they’re only a size 9, but you know what I mean. Kelly, my ride or die. This is going to be amazing! I can’t believe after all these years of listening to you talk for free, I found a way to get paid for it. Is this a great country, or what?”
Not to be outdone, Ripa sent a jab right back to him in her post, sharing the same photo as her husband had from LIVE’s 2018 Halloween “Rebooooot” episode where the trio was dressed as Lucy, Ricky, and Little Ricky Ricardo from I LOVE LUCY. “Okay, now we’re empty nesters,” she wrote, referring to the couple’s three grown children. “When your friends become work mates become family. Congratulations, Ryan, on surviving six winters in NYC! I’m proud of you and am forever in your corner. And Mark, welcome home, or to the contractual obligation phase of our relationship.”
Seacrest, who joined Ripa as LIVE’s permanent host in 2017, had initially only signed a three-year contract. “But I loved the job and working with Kelly so much that I extended my time and last year I made the decision to stay on for one more final season,” he announced on Instagram. As he transitions out of LIVE this spring, he will be moving back to the West Coast to focus on his hosting duties for the upcoming season of AMERICAN IDOL, his KIIS-FM radio show, and his other entertainment endeavors. “I’m looking forward to coming back to guest host in the future and Kelly, I promise to forever share my food photos, chicken eggs, and olive oil with you. And congratulations to my brother Mark, feel free to remodel my dressing room!”
Consuelos and Ripa met on the set of AMC and got married in May 1996. The couple share three children: Michael, Lola, and Joaquin.
