Kelly Ripa on the red carpet © Dia Dipasupil

Kelly Ripa touched as fans urge her to return to Live following time off

Anderson Cooper replaced the popular host on Live with Kelly and Mark on Thursday

Lifestyle Features Editor
July 31, 2023

Kelly Ripa left fans pleading for her return after being absent from her show Live with Kelly and Mark for two days in a row last week.

The 52-year-old was replaced by Anderson Cooper and the show's announcer Deja Vu on Thursday and Friday's episodes of the hit morning show, and while they both proved popular with viewers, many couldn't wait for Kelly to return to the sofa alongside her husband Mark Consuelos.

© Instagram

Kelly Ripa re-shared a message of support from a fan

Kelly was clearly touched by the support she had received from fans online, and reposted a message on her Instagram Stories from a viewer who wrote: "Mark is so good I've been watching the show without Kelly. However, I miss Kelly, that show is all her and I can't wait for her to be back."

It is not the first time Kelly has missed recording the show in recent weeks; the mom-of-three was replaced by Maria Menounos on the July 20 and 21 broadcasts, who shared details about her newborn daughter Athena and revealed Kelly and Mark had left her a sweet baby gift in her dressing room backstage.

© Getty Images

Anderson Cooper stood in for Kelly on Live with Kelly and Mark on Thursday

Although Kelly has not confirmed the reason why she has been missing from the show, it is believed she has been busy shooting her other TV project, Generation Gap, which she has also been plugging for her 3.4 million followers on Instagram.

Kelly has been hosting Live alongside her husband since April, when her co-host of six years, Ryan Seacrest, left his chair. Although the season got off to a rocky start with ardent viewers hoping Ryan would return, the pairing has now become so successful that they have already started shooting promos for the upcoming season of Live, showing that Mark isn't going anywhere soon.

© Getty Images

Kelly Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos have hosted the show together since April

In an interview with Variety ahead of Ryan's departure and Mark's incoming, the former All My Children actress got candid about dealing with difficult transitions on Live, given that her husband is the fourth co-host she's had to work with on the show after Ryan, Michael Strahan, and Regis Philbin.

MORE: Kelly Ripa replaced by Maria Menounos on Live

"I can't say it enough. I had a really difficult time. These transitions don't have to be dramatic," she told the outlet. "I know what it's like to feel like you're not wanted somewhere. 

"I came from an acting background, and I am an expert in rejection. But this was like weirdly being rejected while also being the person that they wanted for the show."

Sign up to Off Camera for all the gossip and goings-on from the wonderful world of TV and film

Email Address

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More TV and Film

See more