Live with Kelly and Mark was forced to make a last-minute co-hosting switch after Mark Consuelos was unable to make it to work this morning. But why wasn’t he there? According to Kelly Ripa, her hunky partner-in-crime was feeling under the weather.

As Ripa settled into her seat for the opening chat, she was joined by the show’s announcer, Déjà Vu Parker, who asked about Consuelos’ whereabouts.

“Poor Mark. He tried to power through. He tested negative for everything but he’s really sick,” Ripa revealed. “I felt so bad for him. This morning — he was sleeping in Joaquin’s room last night — he came into the bedroom and he was like, ‘Babe, I think I can power through.'”

She continued, “And I pulled that sheet up over my face and I said, ‘I really feel like you need to go back to bed. You look and sound terrible. And also please get out of this room.'”

Ripa elaborated on her husband’s unknown illness, telling Parker that he has a “fever,” which to her, “always signals something else.” She added, “He’s like, ‘I tested negative for everything so I’m fine.’ I go, ‘No, no. You’re not fine. Trust me. You’re not fine.'”

Now if this were just over three years ago — before the COVID-19 pandemic — Ripa noted that Consuelos likely would’ve pulled it together and made it to work.

“We used to all go to work mildly or moderately ill all the time,” she said. “Now, post-COVID, we have this whole new mentality on how germs are spread. It’s like, you don’t need to power through. Deja’s here. And you’re way prettier than Mark.”

Parker then pointed out that Consuelos is “an eye-catcher himself,” to which Ripa replied, “Yes. Well, I can’t lose.”

While we’re unsure about when we can expect Consuelos back in his regular seat, we hope he has a speedy recovery!

Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. You can find local listings on their website.