Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Discuss Their ‘Traditional' Marriage Roles

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos opened up about their conventional marriage and how they make it work for them — all the details

Keeping it simple! Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos revealed how their marriage works best for them.

“What’s funny is I think of us as such a progressive … couple. I always think of us as politically progressive,” Ripa, 50, explained during their appearance on the “Double Date” podcast earlier this month. “Yet, when it comes to our own family and our marriage and our roles, I think of us as very traditional and almost old-fashioned in our roles.”

Consuelos, 50, chimed in: “I feel like there are certain roles — it’s hard to explain exactly what those roles are. We had a conversation where I said, ‘Hey listen, there’s really only room for one man in this relationship and it’s going to be me.'”

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Discuss Their ‘Traditional' Marriage Roles — Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

The Pitch alum elaborated that the Live with Kelly and Ryan cohost “makes the home a home,” which is an aspect of their relationship that can be considered “almost old-fashioned.”

Ripa also shared the challenges that come from her husband’s busy work schedule, including the Riverdale star having to “miss milestones for the kids.”

The couple, who eloped in Las Vegas in May 1996, share three kids: sons Michael, 23, and Joaquin, 18, and daughter Lola, 19.

“I’ve been able to raise my kids here in this city, in the nest, and he’s always been willing to travel and go to a set and go off here and sometimes he’s had to go live in another country to work on a set over there,” Ripa explained.

The Hope and Faith alum shared that even with their traditional roles, it was Consuelos that convinced her to do her talk show when she was worried about being away from home too much.

“I wanted to raise my kids. I didn’t want to have them and never get to see them,” she explained. “And the talk show afforded me this opportunity where I would work in the morning, early in the morning, and then I would have the rest of the day to take them to their activities or be there and watch the ballet recital, be there and do all of those things.”

Ripa and Consuelos will soon be celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary on May 1. “Kelly and Mark have this infectious energy when they’re together that’s just so upbeat and refreshing,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly in October 2020.

Although they couldn’t go all out for Ripa’s birthday that month amid the pandemic, they still found a way to enjoy the day. The insider added: “They’re having cozy dates and a good old-fashioned time – although Kelly’s still working her butt off because she wouldn’t have it any other way!”