Kelly Ripa Reacts to Husband Mark Consuelos' Startling New Hairdo

Kelly Ripa didn't sugarcoat her reaction to her husband Mark Consuelos' drastically different new haircut.

Kicking off the first episode of July 2024 on Monday, LIVE With Kelly & Mark viewers were greeted by their usual co-hosts, though Consuelos looked very different as he debuted a much shorter 'do.

"Do not adjust your TV screens—yes, I got my haircut," the 53-year-old joked, later adding it was a rather rare occurrence that only happens "every couple of years," as transcribed by People. "It’s like a chinchilla!"

Opening the floodgates to criticism, his wife began rubbing his head while telling viewers, "I’ve never rubbed an actual chinchilla but I suspect this is what it feels like."

"We should give everyone in the audience an opportunity," Ripa, also 53, quipped. "Look at how I take it all for granted, don’t I? I take it all for granted!"

While she didn't seem keen on his shorter style, the longtime TV personality explained that she still supports it because Consuelos "Didn't have a choice" in the matter and that he "had to do it."

"Yeah, I got a TV job," the Riverdale alum shared, teasing an upcoming acting credit. "A role in a pilot, and they said, ‘Can you cut it short?’ And I said, ‘How short? … Military?’ And they said, ‘Military.’"

The duo then went back and forth, remaining tight-lipped on the production while clarifying that Consuelos is not playing someone in the armed forces and the series is filming in Atlanta.

Related: 'Live's Mark Consuelos Shocks Kelly Ripa with On-Air Admission About Kissing a Fan

While the July 1 episode served as Consuelos' haircut's big broadcast debut, the couple seemingly attempted to soft-launch his haircut on social media over the weekend.

On Saturday, June 29, the couple–who have been married for 28 years–posed for a photo later uploaded to Instagram. Alongside the sweet pic, Ripa wrote: "We are Switzerland baby ????????."

The actor also recapped the trip in a series of photos he posted to the picture-sharing app that same day, which he captioned, "Swiss life????merci beaucoup Geneva!"

Like the couple, their Instagram users seemed torn over the new look, with one pleading with the actor, "Mark, please let your hair grow out. ????."

"Looks terrible, lol," another wrote.

"You two look like you're having the time of your lives," a different user added. "I like the hair Mark."

"I hope that you have a fresh buzz cut when the show returns @instasuelos! It looks great!" a fourth exclaimed.

Someone else joked, "Just like a husband - you say, 'grow out your hair' and he shaves it off ??????."

Next: Kelly Ripa Accuses Mark Consuelos of Causing Her 'Wicked and Terrible' Home Injury