Mark Consuelos Recalls Going 'Back and Forth' on the Decision to Join 'Live!'
Mark Consuelos can't help but admit he was once a little unsure about joining wife Kelly Ripa on her popular daytime talk show—but he definitely wound up making the right decision.
The actor and TV personality, 52, exclusively tells Parade that he kept going "back and forth" while debating the opportunity to co-host the show with Ripa, as the married couple weren't always confident that working side-by-side with their spouse was a good idea.
"It spans the gamut," Consuelos says about his conversations with Ripa, 52, about the possibility of him joining the show, stating that on the one hand, he felt like, "This is probably the craziest idea ever," while another part of him thought, "Wait, this is awesome."
As we know, Ryan Seacrest announced his exit from Live! With Kelly and Ryan back in February of this year, leaving an extra seat open next to Ripa on the long-running show.
"It went back and back and forth, back and forth," Consuelos continues of the decision-making process. "It kind of ended up with the assessment of us talking about it and saying, 'Look for the past like seven years I had either been Los Angeles, New Mexico or Canada for a long long time.' And I really wanted to be home. I really wanted to be back in New York City. I missed it. I wanted to do some theater here in New York City."
"The job lends itself, obviously. It anchors you here," he adds. "So that was like, 'Wait, this is great. Schedule is great.'"
The Riverdale actor ultimately ended up saying yes, and agreed to replace Seacrest on what is now titled Live! With Kelly and Mark—and fans couldn't be more grateful that he did.
But while viewers seem to be having a great time watching the show at home, Ripa and Consuelos also seem to be having the time of their life going to work together every day.
"Every time we do it, it's really fun," he gushes. "We've liked spending time together. And I love the show."
While fans are definitely loving Consuelos' run on the show so far, we can never turn down an opportunity to see Seacrest, 48, back in action. The American Idol host will be appearing in some "never-before-seen" content he filmed before leaving the show, which is expected to air on the show this summer .
"It's just always great," says Consuelos. "Great to have him back. I adored him and he's been such a such a great friend to my wife and to my family. So, I think the fans are gonna love to see him back."
Next: Mark Consuelos Reveals Why He's Glad He Had Kids Early On