It looks like Mark Consuelos will be double-checking the label on his allergy medicine the next time he reaches for it. On this morning’s episode of Live with Kelly & Mark, the actor accidentally mistook the popular erectile dysfunction pill Viagra for the allergy med Allegra.
During the opening chat, Consuelos and Kelly Ripa discussed allergy pills — and how “in front of the counter” nasal decongestants don’t actually work, according to the FDA.
“They have these other versions of Sudafed like Allegra, DayQuil, all of these medications that whenever I’m feeling a little run down, I’m coming down with a cold, I pop willy-nilly,” Ripa explained. “I always think they work for me but I believe it’s because I don’t take medication usually ever so if I take any medication it has an immediate effect on my system.”
She continued, “[Executive producer Michael] Gelman, who is a pill popper, said they never seem to work on him — the new versions [that you can’t make] the crystal meth out of.”
After reading the report that these commonly used pills don’t actually work, Ripa chalked up her experience to “some placebo effect.” When Gelman pointed out that she could be feeling “the other drugs” mixed into these pills, Consuelos brought up the different ways they are advertised.
“You said you were taking Allegra? Is that the one with the people in the two bathtubs next to each other?” he asked, to which Ripa replied, “That’s Viagra.”
Unfortunately, both co-hosts were wrong. The infamous bathtub ads were actually for Cialis, another erectile dysfunction drug. But the references didn’t stop there …
Consuelos followed up with an agreeing, “Oh,” before shrugging his shoulders and smirking at the audience.
“The guy throwing the football through the thing?” he added with some hand gestures, while Ripa replied, “That’s Cialis.”
Taking a less NSFW turn, Gelman brought up the commercial for an Arthritis medication in which everyone is seen doing Tai Chi — a form of gentle exercise and moving meditation that’s similar to yoga.
“I always try to figure out what the side effects are from the ads,” Ripa said. “And Celebrex has Tai Chi as a side effect. Spontaneous Tai Chi. If you take Celebrex, you will suddenly break out into Tai Chi with other groups of people.”
Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. You can find local listings on their website.