From co-stars in life to co-stars on Live! ABC is sharing a glimpse into Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos‘ preparation for their co-hosting debut on Monday’s first Live With Kelly and Mark. In the video teaser above, the longtime married couple shares why they think Consuelos is the perfect replacement for Ryan Seacrest, whose final Live show aired Friday, April 14.
Consuelos joins Ripa as her full-time co-host on Monday, April 17, after many years of guest appearances on the beloved morning talk show. But these two are no strangers to working together. Through co-starring on soap operas, Hope & Faith, and Riverdale, the pair, as Ripa shares above, has learned to “keep work at work, and we keep home at home.”
“It’s like don’t go to bed mad, now it’s don’t go to work mad,” Consuelos teases.
The Riverdale alum knows the Live team almost as well as his wife. As he explains, “I’ve known that staff and that crew for the better part of two decades, a little bit more. And so when I would go there to fill in, it felt like I was coming home.”
“Everybody seemed to be happy to see me. They’re happy to see me; I’m happy to see them. We laugh, we laugh a lot,” he says of his return to set. “That’s so much fun to go there.”
What he’s looking forward to the most in this new hosting gig is “the spontaneity of the show,” explaining, “I love that you never really know what’s going to happen. I love that we agree on a lot, but we have very different point of views, much like a lot of husbands and wives, and so that’s also, I think, good material for the show.”
“He’s also not afraid to challenge me,” Ripa chimes in. “It will be fun for me…”
“Like a cat and a mouse,” Consuelos adds.
“Yes. For me, what I enjoy most is watching Mark walk into the studio is like watching him come home,” Ripa continues. “Everybody has a real love for him and a real familial, 20+ years relationship with him.”
Some of the couple’s first guests next week will be Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, Scott Foley, J. Smith-Cameron, and Sheryl Lee Ralph. Check out the first photos of Ripa and Consuelos for Live With Kelly and Mark below.
Disney General Entertainment/Miller Mobley
Disney General Entertainment/Miller Mobley
Live With Kelly and Mark, Series Premiere, Monday, April 14, check your local listings
