Television couple Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos gave fans another entertaining glimpse into their marriage on Live with Kelly and Mark after a playful on-air disagreement about their very different travel styles.
During the Wednesday, October 22 episode, Ripa, 55, joked that she and her husband might need an “airport divorce” — a growing trend where couples separate at the airport and reunite at the gate — to avoid travel-related tension.
“Couples are doing something unique and I want to run this by you,” Ripa said. “I think we could do well with this: an airport divorce. [Because] you and I have different traveling philosophies, different traveling styles.”
Consuelos, 54, immediately defended himself. “What do you mean? Like, I walk fast in the airport?” he asked.
Ripa teased that her husband insists on arriving “four to sixteen hours” before a flight, which she says causes unnecessary stress. Consuelos laughed and corrected her, saying he prefers to arrive about 90 minutes early.
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Their banter continued as Ripa claimed her husband gets “irritated” when fans approach him while waiting at the gate — something Consuelos quickly denied. “Don’t put that out there,” he said. “I’m very nice to people. That’s not cool.”
Ripa pressed on, saying, “You are very nice to people, but you get irritated with me.” Consuelos replied, “No. I don’t get irritated with you. I’m irritated with you right now for trying to throw me under the bus.”
The conversation turned into a hilarious retelling of a recent airport mix-up when Consuelos’ TSA PreCheck temporarily lapsed. Ripa explained that she chose to wait with him in the longer line out of solidarity but said he still became frustrated.
“The line was too slow and he got irritated with me!” she told the audience. “This is the part where you say, ‘Thank you honey, I’m sorry that I’m making you wait in this line.’”
Consuelos countered that their disagreement was simply about which security line to take. “There was a fork in the road — go left or go right — and I said, ‘Let’s go this way,’” he said, implying that his wife went the other way. “But I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, so I just let it go.”
Ripa quickly shot back that her line was faster because she still had her TSA privileges. “Now I’m with Mark, so my shoes are coming off and everything’s being taken out of my bag. I am being violated in this line — and Mark is still irritated with me!” she joked. “The airport divorce is what we are definitely getting.”
Later in the show, the couple’s playful arguments continued when they discussed car washing habits. Ripa said she never drives and doesn’t have time to hand-wash a car, while Consuelos teased her about leaving “toe prints on the windshield” from resting her bare feet on the dashboard.
“I’ve got to stretch!” Ripa said defensively, as the audience laughed.
By the end of the segment, even Consuelos admitted they were “having a day,” while Ripa warned, “You are going down!”
Consuelos laughed and concluded, “Just watching married people quarrel on TV. It’s fun! Mom and dad, fighting again!”
