Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos have never shied away from sharing the realities of their marriage. But a recent exchange on “Live with Kelly and Mark” exposed just how much their household rules have shifted over the years — especially when it comes to their bedroom.
The two talk show hosts have been married for nearly three decades and share three kids.
What was once considered a disgusting habit by Conseulos has now become a nightly routine, much to Ripa’s amusement, especially, since back in the day he shamed her for it.
The conversation began when the Italian hearthrob mentioned on the Friday, Jan. 31, episode of the show a study about cheese consumption and sleep apnea, leading him to suggest something that would have been unthinkable in their early years together.
“We should have it by our bed. Next to our bed,” Consuelos proposed, immediately catching Ripa off guard.
With a smirk, she called out his complete reversal on a rule he once firmly enforced.
“We have, [for] many years, one of us shamed the other one of us for eating in the bed,” she said, making it clear that she was the one who had been on the receiving end of that judgment.
When Consuelos feigned innocence, asking, “When?” Ripa didn’t hesitate.
“For the first 28 years of [their] marriage,” she replied.
Ripa went on to remind him of just how disgusted he used to be by the idea.
“Everything. And you’re like, ‘That’s disgusting. Eating in bed is disgusting,'” she recalled, emphasizing how adamant he had been in the past.
But what changed? Consuelos’s time away from home while filming “Riverdale” in Vancouver from 2017 to 2023 seemed to be the turning point.
“Correct. And then you started, I believe, eating in your own bed in Vancouver, and you came home and brought that habit home with you,” his wife stated.
During his tenure as the scheming Hiram Lodge, Consuelos unknowingly started breaking his own long-held rule.
“I would eat in my first bed, which was the couch,” he admitted. “I’d call it ‘sleep one.’ I’d have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I’d get drowsy because you know, your sugar spikes, and all that blah, blah, blah. And then I’d fall asleep, and I’d sleep until like 2, 3 o’clock in the morning, wake up from there, and then go to sleep two in my bed.”
Meanwhile, Ripa took the opportunity to implement her own changes while he was away.
“For me, I started allowing the dogs to sleep in bed,” she shared, noting that her decision was a direct result of Consuelos’s absence.
But his return to their home brought a bigger surprise, “You started dragging food into our bed,” she pointed out.
It wasn’t just a small shift — Consuelos had gone from being disgusted by eating in bed to fully embracing the habit himself.
“I guess you figured the dogs were there, what the hell?” Ripa teased.
Consuelos didn’t fight it, laughing as he admitted, “It’s all gone to hell.”
Their exchange took an even funnier turn when the celebrity hubby proposed making cheese a permanent fixture in their nighttime routine, placing it on either side of their bed.
The couple’s evolution from rigid bedroom rules to a more relaxed, food-friendly space speaks to their ability to adapt and grow together, even after nearly three decades of marriage.
Their lighthearted debate is just another example of why their relationship has endured for so long.
From their whirlwind romance that began on the set of “All My Children” in the mid-1990s to their spontaneous Las Vegas elopement in 1996, Ripa and Consuelos have always had a dynamic filled with humor, chemistry, and deep understanding.
Actress Susan Lucci recently chimed in on the origin of their love story starting before they even were cast on the soap opera saying, “I was happy to be in the hair and makeup room watching their audition scenes, and we were all like, ‘Oh, get a room!’”
Adding during the 55th reunion celebration at the 92NY in New York, “The chemistry between you two was coming right through the screen.”
Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos and Their 3 Kids on Their Wild, Wonderful Family https://t.co/kQKjVjaBOL pic.twitter.com/aUJfUm5NNw
— People (@people) August 12, 2020
Now, as co-hosts together on their own branded live show, they continue to invite audiences into their personal lives, giving fans a front-row seat to their playful disagreements, affectionate teasing, and evolving habits.
Even before he joined the show, Ripa made a habit of sharing details about his life, including him stripping while he was in college.
“I found out in the National Enquirer that he was once a go-go boy, a male stripper. He was. A lot of hot guys in Hollywood have done that,” she told Vanity Fair. “He was straight out of college, and he went to Notre Dame and finished his degree at the University of South Florida.”
She continued, “So, there he was in South Florida, he’s looking to break into show business, so he started off as a roadie to a group of these guys, and then they talked him into stripping.”
Whether it’s a debate about bedtime snacks, teasing him about taking it off, or a bigger shift in their household routines, one thing is clear: Ripa and Consuelos know how to roll with the changes.
And if a little cheese before bed is the next step in their journey, it looks like they’re in it together — snacks and all.
