ENTERTAINMENTKelly Ripa Says Mark Consuelos' '9-1-1' Character Is the 'Fantasy Role of My Life': 'I'm Finally Married to a Tech Billionaire!'
Kelly Ripa was beyond excited for Mark Consuelos' role on '9-1-1.'
Oct. 9 2025, Published 5:59 p.m. ET
Kelly Ripa is living her dream — sort of!
During the Thursday, October 9, episode of Live With Kelly and Mark, the the daytime talk show star gleefully teased her husband, Mark Consuelos, after he revealed details about his new role on Season 9 of 9-1-1.
As Consuelos explained how he will appear on the first "few episodes" of the hit ABC drama as tech mogul Tripp Houser, Ripa chimed in with a playful confession, noting: "You play the fantasy role of my life. I'm finally married to a tech billionaire!"
Kelly Ripa teased Mark Consuelos ahead of the premiere of '9-1-1.'
Consuelos got a kick out of Ripa's comment, as he described his character as a "billionaire with a heart of gold."
The Riverdale star admitted he was instantly intrigued when he read the wild Season 9 premiere script.
"I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘What?’ And then I just kept reading it, and it got better and better and better," he revealed. "I’m casually kayaking out there in the harbor, having a board meeting, and then this happens."
Mark Consuelos' Character Gets Swallowed by a Whale on '9-1-1'
Mark Consuelos plays a tech billionaire on Season 9 of '9-1-1.'
Live then aired a sneak peek of Consuelos' 9-1-1 appearance, which showed his character video calling into a business meeting while kayaking.
Consuelos' character was confidently bragging about his IQ and athleticism when he shockingly gets swallowed by a whale.
"They had me at whale," he quipped, gushing over how "much fun" it was to film the over-the-top scene.
"This character’s so fun to play. He gets himself in a lot of trouble. And man, that show takes really big swings. They do some outlandishly fantastic things on that show," Consuelos praised.
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Mark Consuelos' character gets swallowed by a whale while kayaking on '9-1-1.'
Keeping her bit going, Ripa teased: "Wait — my tech billionaire husband suddenly gets swallowed by a whale? What will I do?"
According to 9-1-1's Season 9 trailer, Tripp Houser's story doesn’t end there.
After surviving the jaw-dropping whale attack, Consuelos' character offers firefighter Hen — played by Aisha Hinds — a chance to join a space flight as a thank-you for saving his life.
Chaos quickly erupts, however, when a geomagnetic storm threatens everyone involved.
Mark Consuelos missed a few episodes of 'Live' over the summer to film '9-1-1.'
Consuelos' appearance on 9-1-1 comes after he missed nearly a week of Live episodes over the summer to film the project.
During his absence, Ripa informed fans her husband was "working on a show out in L.A.," but didn't immediately reveal which series he'd be a guest star on.
Consuelos eventually shared the exciting news upon Live returning from summer break.
"It's good to be back! It was a nice, long vacation. I had to work in the first part of it," he explained during the premiere of Live's 38th season. "I got to do a few episodes on the show called 9-1-1."
Calling acting his passion, the Husband for Hire star added, "We can’t talk about any of the details, although I play a tech billionaire. His name is Trip, and he experiences an emergency situation, so he needs to call 9-1-1."
