Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos turned a discussion about pet custody into a hilarious on-air exchange, with Consuelos saying that he would rather stay in a loveless marriage than risk losing their dog.
The moment came as Ripa, 55, read about laws directing judges to consider factors similar to child custody cases when deciding who should keep a pet after a breakup.
Among the factors are who provides the animal’s daily care, who rescued or adopted the pet and even who may have been against getting the animal in the first place.
Ripa gave her husband a pointed look as she read that last part.
Consuelos quickly fired back with his own argument.
“But who’s up with the pet every time she has diarrhea from, like, 12 o’clock at night ’til seven o’clock in the morning?” he asked.
Ripa responded, “The person that didn’t want to adopt her, ’cause that’s how karma works.”
The couple adopted their dog Lena in 2021, and Ripa’s comment strongly suggested Consuelos had not been enthusiastic about bringing her home at first.
That clearly isn’t the case anymore.
“I mean, listen. Let’s just put it this way. I would stay in a loveless marriage just to make sure I could be with Lena every day,” Consuelos told Ripa. “That’s how much I love Lena.”
Ripa immediately burst out laughing.
“Is that all you’re asking for, is a loveless marriage?” she joked. “Done!”
Consuelos then admitted that if he and Ripa ever split and Lena stayed with her, he would probably lie awake wondering what the dog was doing.
Ripa had another joke ready.
“Just wondering if there was some other man petting her,” she teased.
Despite all the divorce jokes, the longtime couple appears to be doing just fine.
Ripa and Consuelos first met while working together on All My Children and eloped in Las Vegas in 1996 after about a year of dating.
They have been married for roughly 30 years and share three children: Michael, Lola and Joaquin.
Consuelos did recently admit there is one thing from their wedding day he wishes he could take back.
During an episode of Live With Kelly and Mark earlier this month, he told guest host Jenna Dewan that he and Ripa went to get tattoos immediately after getting married.
“I don’t know whose idea that was, but we went straight to get tattoos, and it was a horrible idea,” he said.
Consuelos said he originally got the classic comedy and tragedy theater masks tattooed on him.
“I’ve since had it covered up with something different here, but I got the tragedy/comedy actors masks,” he explained. “The smiley face and the angry face.”
Looking back, he admitted the tattoo now makes him cringe.
“I’m like, oh, my god. It’s so cringey just to think of it,” he said.
For now, though, it seems one thing is certain: if Ripa and Consuelos ever did split, custody of Lena could become the real battle.