Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, together at last.
On Monday, the first episode of the newly christened “Live with Kelly and Mark” aired, with Consuelos officially replacing Ryan Seacrest as the morning show’s new co-host.
READ MORE: Kelly Ripa Says She And Mark Consuelos Are ‘Taking A Vow Of Chastity’ Ahead Of Co-Hosting ‘Live’
Welcoming viewers, Ripa joked that her husband would be “joining me today — and permanently, until one of us dies.”
Conseulos said, “Thank you for trusting me to be your co-host.”
The couple’s 21-year-old daughter Lola was also in the studio audience for the show, making the day a family affair.
Ripa and Consuelos spoke with Variety about going from husband-and-wife to co-hosts, admitting they were not into the idea at first.
“We’d be the last people on earth to suggest ourselves to work together for anything,” Ripa said. “They were putting the data in front of us, like, ‘Do you realize how much you’ve worked together in your careers?’ And it actually really started to make sense to us.”
Executive producer Michael Gelman said, “The concept of the show was always a faux husband and wife, right? I have described it where it’s these two people, they’ve woken up and now they’re having coffee, and then their friends are coming over who happen to be celebrities, and we’re all having a good time. Now, it’s just graduated to a new level of reality, which is a real husband and wife.”
In fact, Gelman admitted that Consuelos, who has regularly appear on “Live” over the years. was essentially part of the show the moment Ripa was hired.
“When we were booking Kelly, we were booking Mark. He’s been here. He’s done it dozens and dozens of times,” he said. “People have always been fascinated when he comes on because you’re not just hearing two friends. Now you’re hearing things that are going on in real relationships, like, ‘You were snoring last night.’ People like that, so it wasn’t a hard decision.”
Ripa added, “I keep saying to myself that it’s one of the great, weirdest social experiments that the audience can experience with us.”
As for any nervousness about taking on the role of co-host, Consuelos said his wife has been coaching him through it.
“She reassures me just be in the moment. Just have fun,” he said. “It’s going to be great — that’s kind of the mantra that we both have when we do the show together.”
The couple’s three kids have also been very supportive of their parents becoming co-hosts on the morning show.
“They were they were excited. They were happy. They were sad. They were like, ‘Are we going to see Ryan anymore?’ It was very funny,” Ripa said. “But then, it made perfect sense to them because they’re like, ‘Oh, this is a show we’ve gotten to watch for years in the kitchen.’”
She continued, “Although, our son Michael was very upset that he wasn’t considered for the job, which I thought was the funniest thing I ever heard. He’s like, ‘When Dad has an acting job, I’m a guest host.’”
