Following a week where Mark Consuelos was absent from several episodes of Live With Kelly and Mark, Kelly Ripa has taken some time off herself.
For the pre-recorded episode on Monday, August 4, actress Jackie Tohn joined Consuelos as the guest co-host. Tohn, star of the series Nobody Wants This, expressed her enthusiasm on Instagram, calling the opportunity “one of the best days of my life” and joking, “I’M KELLY RIPA NOW (for tomorrow. for one day. which is tomorrow.)”
Tohn’s hosting performance prompted mixed reactions from viewers on social media. While some praised her as a “great co-host” and “a natural,” others felt she “talked so fast” and was “too overzealous,” not giving Consuelos enough opportunity to speak.
Consuelos did not specify a reason for his wife’s absence. His own time away from the show the previous week was due to work on a new television series in Los Angeles. During that period, Ripa was joined by guest hosts Jerry O’Connell, David Muir, Carson Kressley, and Steve Patterson.
Ripa’s current break aligns with her past summer schedules. Around this time last year, she took her “annual summer vacation” and traveled to California to be honored as a Disney Legend at the D23 Expo.
On a recent podcast appearance, Ripa recalled Consuelos’s initial hesitation to become her permanent co-host after Ryan Seacrest’s departure in 2023. “He’s like, ‘No, it’s fun to do [it] once in a while, because it’s only once in a while,'” she shared. Ripa said she ultimately convinced him by emphasizing the manageable schedule and the unique dynamic of working together.
“It’s great to have an argument on the air because your audience becomes your counselors,” she explained. “And they will let you know who is wrong and who is right. Spoiler alert, I’m usually right.”
