Before Mark Consuelos joins wife Kelly Ripa as a full-time Live cohost, they’ve learned a few lessons from Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes’ messy affair scandal.
“Mark and I have taken a vow of chastity while we’ll be working together because I know how ABC does not like TV partners banging on the side,” Ripa, 52, quipped during a Thursday, April 6, appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “So we’ve promised, no banging on the side.”
News broke in November 2022 that Good Morning America: What You Need to Know coanchors Robach, 50, and Holmes, 45, had been dating despite their respective marriages to Andrew Shue and Marilee Fiebig. (Holmes has since filed for divorce from the attorney and Robach is in mediation with the actor.) While neither GMA3 journalist addressed their romantic status at the time, rampant fan interest in the pair emerged.
“[It was] very compelling,” Ripa joked on Thursday.
Us Weekly eventually broke the news in January that Robach and Holmes were “out” at GMA3, which ABC confirmed several weeks later.
Ripa also works for the broadcast network, helming Live since 2001. After working alongside Regis Philbin, Ryan Seacrest joined the Live Wire author at the anchor desk in 2017. The American Idol host, 48, ultimately announced his exit earlier this year. Consuelos, 51, is set to replace him later this month.
“Mark and I owe everything we have in our professional lives to ABC. We met there at the beginning of our careers and got married and had our kids while there,” Ripa — who shares three children with the Riverdale alum — exclusively told Us in February. “So many wonderful moments have happened while with ABC, so it only makes sense for us to come full circle and work together once again for the show that has given us so much joy and so many years of memories.”
Consuelos, who has served as his wife’s guest cohost several times throughout the years, is also excited to work together again. (The pair, who eloped in 1996, initially met on the set of All My Children.)
“This is my favorite show in the morning. When I was in Vancouver [filming Riverdale] and [Kelly and I] were separated when the borders were closed [amid the coronavirus pandemic lockdown], I got to watch you guys,” the Kingdom alum said during the February 17 episode of Live. “And in Canada, it’s on 15 channels! On the West Coast, you can watch at 6 a.m. [via the] East Coast feed. So, I felt connected. I get to share a cup of coffee with you every morning before the show and now I’ll have one with you on the show, as well.”
He added at the time: “That chair that [Ryan is currently] sitting in is an iconic seat. It’s a great honor for me to sit there. It’s an iconic show and I think it’s going to be a blast.”
Seacrest’s last episode of Live airs on Friday, April 14, before Consuelos takes over on Monday, April 17.
Robach and Holmes, for their part, have since been hopeful about getting back on TV as an official couple. “They’re pitching themselves as a duo,” an insider exclusively told Us earlier this month. “They’ve pitched a reality show, docuseries and daytime talk show, all of which they know will be popular and people will watch. Amy has said whatever they do, this is about real love and they’re in it together.”
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen airs Sundays through Thursday nights on Bravo, and is available next day on Peacock.
