Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos had a heated exchange during Wednesday’s episode of “Live with Kelly and Mark.”
The on-air argument began after Ripa proposed an “airport divorce,” a term that refers to couples going their separate ways at the airport and reuniting when it’s time to board.
She explains to viewers that she and her husband have completely different travel philosophies, suggesting that he is much more disciplined than she is.
For example, Ripa claimed that Consuelos likes to get to the airport “4 to 16 hours” early, which is clearly an exaggeration.
However, the “Riverdale” alum revealed that that’s not true, stating that she likes to arrive just an hour and a half before her departure time, which she said is pretty standard.
Tensions escalated further when Consuelos appeared upset after Ripa said she gets irritated when she approaches fans at airports.
“I don’t say that, don’t show it,” he told her. “I’m very nice to people. That’s not cool.”
Consuelos, 54, told his wife he was angry at her for throwing the story under the bus, but Ripa, 55, went on to tell another story about how he had once gotten angry at her while waiting in line at the airport.
Ripa said she was kind enough to let him get in line for the regular check-in because his TSA pre-screening had expired. However, he allegedly remained irritated with her because she was too slow to cross the line.
Consuelos argued that her take on the incident was different and that the disagreement was actually about her not following the line she wanted.
He also jokingly said, “I want to hear more about this airport divorce,” to which Ripa responded, “Well, I’m definitely going to get divorced now.”
The couple continued to lash out at each other about other topics as they discussed reports about car washes. After Ms. Ripa admitted that she rarely drives her car and that she believed the person who soiled it was responsible for washing it, Ms. Consuelos accused her of putting her bare feet on the dashboard while she was a passenger.
“When you’re gone, I’m watching your footsteps,” he said. “There are footprints on the windshield.”
Consuelos later commented on Wednesday’s tense exchange that he was “having a day today.”
The couple have been married for 29 years, but Ripa has been open about her differences with Consuelos.
The mother of three admitted in a 2023 interview with People that there were a few “little things” between them, but in the end, they “put their heads down, pulled together and said, ‘Let’s do something.'”
“We are not afraid to go there,” she told the outlet. “We’re confident in our marriage. Whatever we talk about, I don’t care if I’m the bad guy, and so is Mark. There’s no need for either of us to be the hero.”