Live without Kelly?
Mark Consuelos got candid in a new interview on whether wife Kelly Ripa was serious about retiring soon from “Live with Kelly and Mark.”
“Listen, I married way above my station. I’m the luckiest guy, I found her and I’m like, ‘I’m hanging on for dear life,'” Consuelos, 52, joked to Entertainment Tonight. “Hopefully she feels the same way.”
Last month, the “Hope & Faith” actress hinted at her possible retirement from the morning talk show circuit.
Ripa has been on air hosting “Live” since 2001, becoming a mainstay of the ABC show for more than two decades.
“I think it’s a real thing,” he said regarding his wife’s thoughts about leaving the series. “She’s been at that for 23 years.”
“I don’t think it’s gonna be anytime soon,” Consuelos added. “I know she’s having a good time, I’m having a really, really good time. But at some point, yeah.”
The “All My Children” actor continued: “When she does decide to walk away, no one’s earned it more than her.”
“She’s been working her butt off since she was like 12 or 13 years old, and she got into the business at 18, and so it’s been a long ride,” he said. “[But] she’s having a blast now.”
The “Riverdale” alum joined his wife of 27 years on “Live” earlier this year, replacing her past co-host Ryan Seacrest.
“I love the show because I know it’s always going to be fun,” he shared with ET. “I know that she’s not going to let me fail. She has chemistry with everybody, and I feel supported — and I think she feels the same way with me next to her.”
Seacrest, 48, departed “Live” in April after joining Ripa, 52, on stage in 2017. The “American Idol” emcee will now be hosting “Wheel of Fortune” starting September 2024.
Ripa touched upon her prospective future retirement in an interview with The Purist in August. She divulged that the reason she “stayed with the same job for so long” was due to the “risk-averse quality.”
“Other offers come along, but I like to stick with what I know. I am very steadfast in everything I do, and so when you have me, you have me for life,” she explained at the time. “Having said that, I don’t intend to work at this job for the rest of my life. I do talk about retirement with great interest, but right now I’m very happy, especially working with Mark.”