Kelly Ripa Makes First Public Appearance Since Missing ‘Live’ To Joke At Disney Legends Ceremony About Her “Smoking Hot” Husband Mark Consuelos

By Alex Vena
Published Aug. 12, 2024, 11:43 a.m. ET

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Kelly Ripa has a lot to thank Disney for — including meeting her “smoking” hot husband and Live with Kelly and Mark co-host Mark Consuelos.

Ripa was honored as a Disney Legend at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event on Sunday night (Aug. 11), and she graced the crowd with a heartfelt and hilarious speech in which she thanked the ceremony’s host and former Live co-host Ryan Seacrest — and teased that she was “just so glad that [he] finally found something else to host,” per People.

Seacrest had praised Ripa onstage, telling her, “You truly are the definition of a Legend.”

Ripa explained that the title “feels surreal,” and issued her gratitude to Disney’s CEO Bob Iger for “this truly magical experience.”

Ripa also how she first met Consuelos, whom she called her “smoking hot” husband, while co-starring on All My Children, which airs on ABC. She quipped that they “made [their[ own three children right backstage in the Disney labs,” per Variety.

“I’m kidding! We made them in our dressing rooms,” she joked. “I’m kidding again. I’m kidding again — HR has asked me to remind everyone.”

Ripa has been absent from Live for the past week, with several guest hosts stepping in for her alongside Consuelos. Just this morning, Maria Menounos could be seen at the co-host desk. A production source told DECIDER that the Live family is on their annual summer vacation, but assured us that the upcoming shows feature fun and fresh never-before-seen content along with celebrity interviews.

Consuelos shouted out his wife’s new title on Friday’s episode of Live, which he co-hosted with Jenny Mollen. After teasing that he would be wearing a “nice suit” to the award ceremony and that his hair was “going to be flowing outside,” he took a moment to gush about Ripa’s accomplishment.

“Kelly, I’m so proud of you,” he shared. “You are a legend.”