The Unfiltered Life of Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, the dynamic duo known for their on-air chemistry, have once again proven they are masters of oversharing. Recently, Ripa revealed a unique signal she uses to let her husband know that they’re not in the mood for intimacy. This conversation took place during a recent appearance where the couple shared some lighthearted moments about their personal life.
During the discussion, Ripa mentioned a fun fact about koalas, noting that these Australian native animals don’t mind being sexually rejected because they simply take a nap. Given that koalas typically sleep for 18 to 22 hours a day, it’s no surprise that this fact resonated with the couple.
‘It’s like you!’ Ripa exclaimed, bursting into laughter. She then mimicked her husband’s actions, saying: ‘I come to bed with my little eucalyptus leaf, and I’m like, “Hey, you want to fool around?”‘ Consuelos responded with a mock expression of disinterest.
Ripa dramatically turned away from Consuelos and told the audience: ‘He hears the retainer pop in, it’s like a chastity belt.’ Consuelos agreed, adding: ‘When you put it in, it’s like, click, click, click. Alright, guess I’m going to bed.’
This playful exchange highlights the couple’s ability to find humor in their everyday lives. It also reveals that Ripa isn’t the only one with peculiar habits. She previously shared that Consuelos wears nasal strips when he sleeps, which means she has zero interest in morning kisses or sex.
‘I said to him, “Here’s the thing. There needs to be a yin and a yang here. It can’t always be your way because it feels like 90 percent of the time it’s your way,”‘ Ripa told the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast on July 15.
‘And now that we work together every day, it’s gonna have to sometimes be my way, and my way’s at night only.’
Their Children and Careers
The couple’s youngest son, Joaquin, is making his Broadway debut as the younger version of Biff (Christopher Abbott) in Death of a Salesman, which runs April 9-August 9 at the Winter Garden Theatre in Midtown Manhattan. Previews began on March 6.
Joaquin, who is 23 years old, graduated from the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance and also competed on the wrestling team. His journey to Broadway was a 30-year process for Nathan Lane, who finally took on the iconic role of Willy Loman opposite Laurie Metcalf and Ben Ahlers in director Joe Mantello’s revival of Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1949 drama.
Meanwhile, Consuelos is preparing for his own Broadway debut as Maurice Duclos opposite Rose Byrne in the Noël Coward 1928-set comedy Fallen Angels. The show officially runs April 19-June 7 at the Todd Haimes Theatre in Midtown Manhattan, with previews beginning last Friday.
A Growing Family
The couple’s 24-year-old daughter, Lola, lives in London and released her debut EP Sorry, It’s All About Me on December 4 after graduating from NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music in 2023.
Last year, Ripa and Consuelos’ 28-year-old son, Michael, acted in their Audible Original podcast series Summer Breeze, and the NYU grad also worked as an associate producer on Bravo reality show The Real Housewives of Potomac.
A Lasting Love
Despite their busy careers, the couple remains inseparable. They share a $27 million Upper East Side townhouse and will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary on May 1.
Ripa and Consuelos originally met at a gym in 1995 before playing onscreen lovers Hayley and Mateo on the ABC soap opera All My Children. The charismatic couple famously eloped at the Chapel of the Bells in Las Vegas in 1996 after only a year of dating and, in 2024, they returned for a visit.
