To us, Mark Consuelos is the hunky television co-host who graces our screens every weekday morning. But to his daughter, he’s just an embarrassing dad who can get a little too protective when meeting her guy friends.
On this morning’s episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, Kelly Ripa kicked off National Body Language Day with some interesting facts — including one that claimed eye contact can be considered “aggressive behavior.” The newfound information prompted Consuelos to explain how his “intimidating” introduction allegedly freaked out his daughter’s pals.
“Lola had some friends over for her graduation last summer and there were a bunch of guys that came over,” he recalled. “I had never met these guys. I go, ‘Hi, Mark Consuelos. Nice to meet you.’ And she’s like, ‘Dad! You’re freaking those guys out!'”
He continued, “I’m like, ‘What do you mean I’m freaking them out? I’m just saying hi. I don’t know them. I just want to make sure we see — I want to look into their souls.'”
Ripa then countered that maybe their daughter “had a point.”
“She had a point. Was it too much? I would linger on the handshake, too,” Consuelos confirmed, to which his wife added, “I was happy to not meet them. I was like, ‘Oh, good. There are children of this day and age — they don’t want to meet us either.'”
The conversation continued as Ripa revealed men and women express discomfort differently. According to the article she was reading, men touch their faces when they feel uncomfortable.
“That guy is uncomfortable,” Ripa pointed out, referring to an audience member. “OK, we’ve only made one man uncomfortable in here today. If I’ve only made one man in this audience uncomfortable today, then I have failed at my job.”
On the other hand, she said women typically touch their necks, jewelry and hair when they are put in awkward situations.
“Yes? Yes. No? Yes. OK. Alright,” Ripa mumbled as she scanned the room. “Women are just touching themselves all over the place. Women have discovered themselves today!”
Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. Check their website for local listings.