Steve Patterson stepped in for Mark Consuelos as co-host during Monday's episode of LIVE with Kelly & Mark. The comedian joined the show's regular anchor Kelly Ripa in the Hudson Square studio, declaring that it was "so great to be back". Although Mark’s absence remained unexplained, his wife couldn’t resist making a cheeky remark about his whereabouts. "I see a lot of marathoners here. Did any of you see Mark still on the course somewhere?" she said as she pointed out the New York City marathoners in the studio audience. "Yes, has the last person finished yet? My goodness gracious," added Steve. "Yes, the last person dragged himself across the course," said Kelly.
During the episode, Kelly and Steve were joined by Rami Malek and Lacey Chabert. The hosts also chatted to Hellen Obiri, the winner of this year's New York City marathon's women's race, which took place on November 2. This isn’t the first time either Kelly or Mark has had to hold down the fort without their spouse. Back in August, Kelly enjoyed some time off from the show while her husband shared the screen with the likes of Jackie Tohn, Jenna Dewan and Rita Ora.
In an interview on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, Kelly opened up about the early days of co-hosting the hit show alongside her husband. The 55-year-old admitted that Mark was initially hesitant when he was first offered the permanent role on ABC. Mark – who shares kids Michael, Lola, and Joaquin with his wife – joined LIVE officially in 2023 following Ryan Seacrest’s departure.
"It was really convincing Mark," she explained. "Because initially when they came to Mark, he flat out refused." She continued: "I also thought that was kind of a bad idea. I was like a husband and a wife hosting a morning show is different than a husband and wife acting together or producing something together."
"The audience really responds to Mark because Mark has a gives zero [expletive] attitude," she added. "And the audience loves that. There’s no artifice with him. If he hates something, he hates it out loud no matter how much we’re supposed to love it. And when he thinks something is dumb, he says it no matter how much we’re supposed to pretend to like whatever the thing is."
The co-stars eloped in 1996 after they met while working on the soap opera All My Children together. "We have been together for 31 years and we are not afraid to express ourselves publicly, there is no artifice," shared Kelly. "We’re not worried about protecting each other’s feelings. We both just say what is on our minds and I guess people find that relatable."