Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa Thought Hosting 'Live' Together Was an 'Insane' Idea: 'The Answer Was No'

Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa initially had some misgivings about hosting their morning show together.

On the latest episode of their "Let's Talk Off Camera" podcast, the All My Children actor admitted that they both thought the idea was crazy.

"When they asked me, we both said, 'No, this is insane. We can't do this,' and then we started talking about it," Consuelos explained. "I remember us talking about it.'"

The 53-year-old said the "answer was no" but they said that they would discuss it to try to get production "off our back a little bit." However, when they did talk about it, they started to see things differently.

"I know that one of the key deciding factors for me was over the past seven years leading up to, you know, this past year I'd been gone so much," Conseulos shared. "I'd been, you know, in different countries, different states, on a d--- airplane every week if not twice a week."

"Sometimes I'd come see you for 24 hours and get back on a plane and go back to work, and so I was kind of tired of living by myself," he continued. "I don't sleep well when I'm away from you. I literally don't sleep."

The couple — who have been married since 1996 — made a "pros and cons" list to help them decide.

"I know one of the cons, you said, 'Well, what if you never get to act again?'" he said to Ripa. "And I said, 'I know me and you can't tell me I'm never gonna do anything again.'"

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As OK! previously reported, Conseulos took over former co-host Ryan Seacrest's role and permanently joined his wife on-air in April 2023. While the Riverdale actor has only been at it for just over a year, Ripa admitted she was considering retirement after working the hosting gig since 2001.

"I don’t intend to work at this job for the rest of my life," she said last August. "I do talk about retirement with great interest, but right now I’m very happy, especially working with Mark."

"We met almost 30 years ago working together, and we always had a great working relationship. I love Mark more than I can articulate," she gushed. "He knows who he is. He is confident and kind and unassuming and very humble. He is irreverent. He understands the absurdity, and he finds the humor in everything."