Mark Consuelos initially rejected co-hosting Live with his wife, Kelly Ripa.
Ripa, 54, made the revelation during a recent appearance on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast while recalling the early days of co-hosting a show alongside her husband.
“It was really convincing Mark,” she explained. “Because initially when they came to Mark, he flat out refused.”
She admitted to the same, “I also thought that was kind of a bad idea. I was like a husband and a wife hosting a morning show is different than a husband and wife acting together or producing something together.”
Despite their initial hesitation, the show hit it off with the fans. “The audience really responds to Mark because Mark has a gives zero f***s attitude,” Kelly said.
“There’s no artifice with him. If he hates something, he hates it out loud no matter how much we’re supposed to love it. And when he thinks something is dumb, he says it no matter how much we’re supposed to pretend to like whatever the thing is.”
Ripa credited their 31-year relationship with helping them stay authentic on air. “We’re not worried about protecting each other’s feelings. We both just say what is on our minds and I guess people find that relatable.”
Consuelos, who shares three adult children— Michael, 28, Lola, 24, and Joaquin, 22—with Ripa, officially joined the show in 2023 following Ryan Seacrest’s departure.
Ripa also revealed one pet peeve when it comes to working with her husband on live TV.
“He doesn’t listen to me frequently, and he will tune me out while we are live on the air,” she shared on the podcast.