Where Was Mark Consuelos on ‘Live’ Today? Why Jerry O’Connell Stepped In For Him As Guest Host

By Alex Vena

Tuesday’s Live with Kelly and Mark was missing one of the show’s familiar faces.

Instead of Mark Consuelos, Kelly Ripa was joined by guest co-host Jerry O’Connell, as Ripa shared more about her husband’s whereabouts.

“You and Mark, I understand, had sort of identical airline situations, passing like ships in the night,” she told O’Connell. “You were delayed for several hours?”

O’Connell said his flight was “delayed a little bit,” though he teased, “When I fly with you guys, you got me a free pass into the first class lounge. So I was ok with it. I was fine.”

Ripa asked, “[Live EP Michael] Gelman sprung for the first class lounge?”

O’Connell joked, “Uhh no, I said, ‘Just bill Gelman.'”

While O’Connell highlighted the “free wi-fi” and “open bar” he was treated to during his delay, Ripa said Consuelos “was stuck” at the airport.

“He left here at noon to catch his flight. We said our goodbyes. He’s working on a show out in L.A,” she explained. “So he called me at around 3:30 or 4’o clock. I thought the flight was taking off. And he said, ‘We’ve been sitting on the tarmac for a while. I don’t know what’s going on.’ They came back [and said] they had an engine problem.”

While Ripa noted that it’s “better to find out there’s an engine problem on the ground,” she said “they rebooked him on another flight, and that plane had a body problem, which is strange.”

Photo: ABC

“There was apparently like a dent in the body of the plane, and they were trying to bang it out,” she added, conceding that while she’s “not a squeamish flyer,” the body problem sounded concerning.

According to Ripa, Consuelos was “booked onto another flight,” which was “supposed to take off at 7:30.”

“And at 9:30, he finally called me and said, ‘We’re getting ready to take off.’ So I don’t know if he arrived, I hope he did,” she quipped.

O’Connell asked if Ripa and Consuelos’ goodbyes are “emotional at this point,” which Ripa denied with a laugh.

“He was more emotional about leaving Lena,” she teased. “The leaving Lena, and the texting me ‘How’s Lena?,’ and the ‘Is Lena ok?,’ and ‘Does Lena miss me?’ You know, so there was a lot of reassurances with Mark that yes, Lena does miss you. And yes, I put your shirt in her crate so she doesn’t forget you for five days.”

O’Connell said he had a similar experience when saying goodbye yesterday to his wife, Rebecca Romijn.

“I was like, ‘Alright, I’m leaving to go see Kelly! Bye, honey!’ My wife was like, ‘Ok, go,'” he joked. “I’m leaving! It’s for real this time! I love you.’ And then I hold one hand [to form a heart], and then I wait for my wife to do the other one, and she was like, ‘Ok, bye. Go, go, go.”

Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. Check out their website for your local listings.