Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos may be a household name at this point thanks to their long-lasting marriage and their stint as the co-hosts of LIVE with Kelly and Mark, but the pair are primarily still actors. They met while co-starring on All My Children during the '90s and early 2000s, tying the knot in 1996 after a year of dating and eventually welcoming three children, Michael, Lola and Joaquin. But it looks like it's back to the small screen for Mark in a whole different way.
The star, 54, was revealed to be cast in the upcoming ninth season of 9-1-1 on ABC, keeping with the LIVE network. Mark will play a "Musk-ish, Bezos-ish billionaire," showrunner and co-creator Tim Minear revealed in a conversation with Entertainment Weekly. It's unclear how many episodes he will appear in, although his character will definitely meet his end in a surprisingly hilarious fashion.
© Getty ImagesTim added that he "was swallowed by a whale, and a much larger adventure will ensue from that," revolving around characters Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody), Hen (Aisha Hinds) and Chimney (Kenneth Choi). He explained that they were inspired by a recent viral video, quipping: "Just google 'kayaker gets swallowed by whale.' You'll find it."
Mark shared the news with the studio audience on LIVE on Tuesday, September 2 beside Kelly, also 54, providing some more insight into his stint with the show, adding he's excited to return to his "passion" of acting, and why his wife is finding particular joy in his addition due to one name in particular – Angela Bassett.
"I got to do a few episodes on a show called 9-1-1," he excitedly told the studio crowd, with the Hope & Faith actress cheering them on. "We can't talk about any of the details!" he added, to which she quipped: "Why can't we talk about any of the details?" He explained that his character's name is Trip, a tech billionaire who "experiences an emergency situation."
© Getty ImagesWhen he mentioned Angela, who plays Athena Grant, Kelly joked: "That was my whole thing, 'You get in there and be friends with Angela Bassett so we can all have dinner!'" Mark confirmed that he had "a great time" and shouted out the season premiere, October 9, the very first without Peter Krause as Bobby Nash after his character was shockingly killed off.
© ABC/DisneyTim further spoke with EW about what the new season will look like, especially in the wake of Bobby's death. "It's not like we come into season 9 and everything's back on reset. That's not the case at all. It hasn't been that long, and people are still grappling with it in their own ways. Really, all of the characters are trying to find their equilibrium."
© Pete DaddsHe added: "But we're not coming back into a wake. It was important for us that this didn't become '9-1-1: The Season of Perpetual Mourning,' but it is kind of '9-1-1: The Season of Perpetual Grappling.' When one piece as pivotal as Bobby is taken away, everything shifts: partnerships change, roles change, and people have to discover something within themselves that maybe they didn't know they had."
