Mark Consuelos admits he’d stay in a ‘loveless marriage’ with Kelly Ripa for this reason

Joey NolfiTue, August 11, 2026 at 7:30 PM UTC

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Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos kissCredit: ABC/ESPNKey Points -

Mark Consuelos revealed one reason he’d stay with Kelly Ripa if they had a “loveless marriage.”

The Live cohost spoke about Ripa during a pre-taped summer edition of Live With Kelly and Mark.

Entertainment Weekly previouslyexclusively reported that Ripa would take an extended absence from Live amid recovery from painful gum surgery.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are still going strong over 30 years into their marriage — and their beloved dog, Lena, might have a lot to do with it.

On Tuesday’s pre-taped episode ofLive With Kelly and Mark(recorded weeks before Ripa went out on an extended absence as she recovers from gum surgery), the longtime spouses and cohosts discussed a talking point about a peculiar proposed law in the state of Pennsylvania.

Ripa introduced the law that, if enacted, would “recognize pets as family members, elevating their status in situations such as divorce,” Ripa said, describing that there would be rules about divisions of costs and custody arrangements between partners.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on ‘Live With Kelly and Mark’Credit: LORENZO BEVILAQUA/Disney via Getty

“Listen, let’s just put it this way,” Consuelos said, before referencing the couple’s beloved dog. “I would stay in a loveless marriage just to make sure I could be with Lena every day. That’s how much I love Lena.”

Ripa laughed as she asked her husband, “Is that all you’re asking for, is a loveless marriage? Because that can be arranged!”

Consuelos chuckled as he admitted, “I would stay up at night, wondering what she was doing” if he were to ever separate from Lena.

Ripa joked that her husband would be “wondering if some other man was petting her” in his absence.

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The couple, who first married in secret in 1996 after meeting while costars on the daytime soap All My Children, previously owned another dog, Chewie, who died in early 2025.

“Chewie had stopped eating for a couple days and had been eating less and less for the past few weeks. She was extremely dehydrated and had some neurological stuff going on. You think, okay, I’m doing the right thing. This isn’t going to be easy, but it’s probably one of the toughest things we’ve had to do as a married couple,” Consuelos told the Live audience during a February 2025 broadcast. “Thank God we haven’t had any tragedy befall us like that, but she was just a great part of our life.”

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on ‘Live With Kelly and Mark’Credit: DISNEY/Lorenzo Bevilaqua/Getty

Ripa said through tears that Chewie was there for the couple throughout key points in their lives, including the raising of the couple’s three children.

“I’m really sorry. I thought I got it all out, guys. I really thought I got it all out, and I apologize because I did not. This is not how I wanted this to go down. God, she gave us so much,” Ripa said. “We’re filled with gratitude for this dog. I apologize, I’m so sorry. She gave us so much. As each one of our kids left for college and then moved out on their own, Chewie remained right there like our steadfast companion.”

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Ripa is currently recovering from oral surgery, after Consuelos revealed on the air in July that his wife would miss several Live episodes after she underwent a gum graft procedure and wasn’t permitted to talk amid her recuperation.

Entertainment Weekly later exclusively reported that Ripa would miss at least two weeks of the show, with the program’s annual block of pre-taped, end-of-summer episodes rounding out the month of August ahead of Live’s return for a new season later this year.

on Entertainment Weekly

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