Kelly Ripa’s hubby, Mark Consuelos: ‘If I were in the 1950s, I’d be perfectly happy’

Kelly Ripa

Kelly Ripa is featured in the February issue of Elle (the one with Claire Danes on the cover) to promote (I guess) her long-running gig on “Live!” Can you believe she’s been co-hosting the show for twelve years now? I still remember when she replaced Kathie Lee Gifford; this was back when Kelly was a cute little brunette, and she soon went blonde, but she looks equally pretty either way.

In the interview, Kelly continues to discuss her enduring love of Botox, and she admits that she even gets injections in her armpits to prevent sweating at the gym. I feel like I’ve heard of this practice before, but it seems so strange — don’t people need to sweat to release toxins and cool the body to prevent overheating? I suppose it really doesn’t matter if the rest of one’s body is allowed to sweat, but it’s still weird, right? Kelly also talks about her ultra-traditional relationship with her husband, Mark Consuelos. We’ve previously heard about how Kelly loves to serve Mark breakfast in bed because that’s what he wants, and now Kelly and Mark are talking even more about their “1950s” lifestyle. Here are some excerpts:

She feels like a dork: “No matter how much I try to cool myself up, I’m really dorky. I think that’s why people get me. I look at you, and you remind me of Jemima Kirke. You came in and you were so effortless, with your black jeans and your black blazer and your turtleneck on and your hair was just, like, perfect, and I know–I know–you didn’t have to do anything to get your hair that way, whereas I would have styled my hair for 17 hours and it would still look very much like a Westminster show-dog. No matter how much I try to cool myself up, it’s never going to happen for me. But, like, am I dying to be cool? Yes, I’m dying to be.”

She doesn’t just Botox her face: The spin class is punishing, but Ripa seems to outperform the twentysomethings manically pedaling around her and emerges looking almost like she did when she arrived. “It’s the Botox,” she says, adding that she sometimes gets it in her armpits to avoid sweating. Ripa hasn’t had plastic surgery, but she’s open about the occasional injection. “Every seven months or so my eyelid skin rests on my eyelashes. So I feel like it makes my makeup artist’s life easier, and it makes my eyes look a little more open on TV, which is where I happen to work right now.”

She wants to write too: “I’ve never really planned my career, and it’s led me to where I am now. I also enjoy writing, but will it lead to anything? I don’t know. I’m probably not very good, but lack of talent hasn’t stopped me before.

How she feels about Mark: “I was drawn to Mark because he was positively an alpha male, and I didn’t think I would be drawn to that. But I just worship him. He makes me feel very safe. I actually call [Mark] Desi, because the thing about Desi was that as much attention as Lucy got, Desi was always in charge.”

How Mark feels about Kelly: “We’re superpartners in crime, my wife and I, but I think we’re pretty…we’re pretty…”–and here, he gives up–“Okay, fine. If I were back in the 1950s, I’d be perfectly happy.”

[From Elle]

Exactly what does that mean when Mark says he’d be very pleased in the 1950s with Kelly as his wife? I am assuming that he’s referring to the aforementioned breakfast in bed and being waited on hand and foot, but that seems so unusual when Kelly surely makes more money than he does. Does she rush from work to the gym (for a several hour workout) and then rush home to have enough time to cut the strings on the pot roast as soon as Mark walks through the door? How exhausting to live as if one must really do everything in life.

Incidentally, Kelly and Mark have just put their two-story NYC penthouse on the market for $24,500,000. The Real Estalker has photos, and the place is absolutely gorgeous with five bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, and two kitchens. I wonder why they could possibly be selling an amazing home like that one.

Here’s some photos of Kelly with Michael Strahan and Kelly Ripa at Kids’ Night On Broadway on 1/9. She’s looking a little bit tweaked, sure, but I’m more concerned about her undereye-concealer problem.

Kelly Ripa

Kelly Ripa

Kelly Ripa

Kelly Ripa

Photos courtesy of Elle and WENN

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72 Responses to “Kelly Ripa’s hubby, Mark Consuelos: ‘If I were in the 1950s, I’d be perfectly happy’”

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  1. bea says:

    Well, if it were the 1950s, Mark, your wife wouldn’t have washboard abs nor make millions every year…….

    • Nina W says:

      Sad to say it but in the 1950’s an Irish-Italian marrying a Mexican-Italian would not have been as widely accepted as today. Theirs is a romanticized view of the 50’s that is completely at odds with the reality of the 1950’s. It was not easy for Lucy and Desi, they broke through some important barriers and that should be remembered better than some 50’s fantasy of male domestic bliss.

    • Meredith says:

      I like them both – very cute – but if it were the ’50’s, she wouldn’t be making all the money to keep them living the high life. Fine if their marriage works for them – but the ’50’s was not a good time for an American woman with smarts, ambition and a desire to do more than bake a lot. Read “The Feminine Mystique”, people – it sucked to be a woman then.

    • Heidiho says:

      If it were the 50’s, I’d have that cabana boy deported…after he fetched me a drink.

  2. Hannah says:

    Maybe he was joking? I just wanna give him the benefit of the doubt. Otherwise… what an incredibly dumb thing to say!

    • Belle says:

      Um.. yeah. I kind of think that he deserves the benefit of the doubt. They seem to have a strong marriage, and it doesn’t appear that he has tried to hold Kelly back from doing what she wants.

      Also, the flip side is that Kelly says herself that she was drawn to his ‘alpha male’ thing, and loves that about him. I doubt she makes him breakfast in bed every day… but probably does it sometimes, not just because HE likes it, but she actually enjoys making him happy.

      • Alexandra Bananarama says:

        Thanks Belle!
        I has hesitant to click on this 1 awaiting people hating on her for wanting to act like that with her husband. Same hate Blake gets with the baking talk.

        You got it! She likes doing that. A woman can be strong and still want to do those feminine things.
        No need to hate this woman. She might be over playing it for publicity, but don’t hate her for it.

  3. Suze says:

    Yeah, these two want all the perks of the 2010s with the patina of the 1950s. That kind of attitude grates on me, actually.

    An aside – she’s been on LIVE for 12 years? I. AM. OLD. It seems like 5/6 years, tops.

  4. Po says:

    I can’t believe that show is still being watched.

  5. KC says:

    “No matter how much I try to cool myself up, it’s never going to happen for me. But, like, am I dying to be cool? Yes, I’m dying to be.”

    Kelly, please stop trying to make yourself cool and just be yourself. You try WAY too hard. Just calm down and take a second to breathe.

    • JenD says:

      I get tired of celebrities’ “I wish I were cool” schtick. It seems like it’s the thing to say to seem more relatable to the average person. You’re the headliner on a tv talk show, you’re an accomplished actress – you’re cool enough.

      • Jenn says:

        I agree but I prefer her admitting to this than to celebs who front like they don’t care or are unaffected. This is how most of them feel so props to Kelly in this respect.

    • Esmom says:

      It seems to me that she’s looking for “effortless” more than “cool.” Or maybe they’re the same thing. It seemed her point was that her style takes effort, while others can just throw themselves together and go.

      She’s annoyingly manic but she cracked me up with her “Westminster show dog hair” comment.

  6. Faye says:

    I’ve always had a soft spot for Kelly. I remember being home sick as a child and seeing her on All My Children as Hayley — she was so funny and spunky and crazy-cool (to me as a child, anyway) when she was first on the show. She looked *very* different, then!

    I suspect all this stand-by-your-man, “we’re so retro” talk is their way of covering for the fact that their marriage is the opposite of a ’50’s union. Kelly is clearly the breadwinner here, and that may not sit well with Mark, so this is her way of helping to puff up his ego, perhaps. I have seen it before with some of my friends. I feel kind of bad for them — it’s a bad feeling when you’re successful but you have to downplay it.

    • Relli says:

      Uncle Porkchop!

      She was my favorite character too, on All my children, she was so cool & pretty!

      But ITA on your assessment.

    • MaiGirl says:

      Me too. There is something “off” about the way Kelly talks about this marriage, like she feels like it has to be “traditional” to make up for something, like Mark’s butt hurt ego. I think she is great as a show host, and I appreciate her candor, but something is wrong here. If nothing else, knowing how much Lucy got cheated on, why on earth would you nickname your husband Desi?

    • KellyinSeattle says:

      I remember Uncle Porkchop, too!! Loved here on AMC; still like her a lot….

      • mom2two says:

        I loved her on AMC. I still do. I know I have heard rumors that he seems to be envious of her success but then I want to think it can’t be true. She was the bigger star even on AMC. He had to know that going into the relationship with her. Which kind of makes me think he is joking.

  7. I.want.shoes says:

    It’s like she’s living in her Maytag commercial: busy woman taking care of her 3 impeccably clean and well-dressedkids, in an impeccably clean house and kitchen, and she still has time to bake their dog a birthday cake.

  8. Jennika says:

    It’s her opinion, and she’s entitled to it.

  9. marie says:

    she’s always seemed a bit too perky but I don’t have a problem with her, she is who she is..

  10. poppy says:

    he is from an extremely conservative (and smart, he’s the “loser” if you can call it that!) catholic family. he also has an ‘interesting’ past that does not really mesh with the 50s ideal they’re shilling.
    still think they are a match made in heaven, perfect for each other.

  11. rosie says:

    1950’s??? If that were the case, he would be the breadwinner, wouldn’t he? What DOES he do in terms of work anyway? Kelly seems to bring home all the bacon — i.e. her show, endorsement deals, plus her charity work…

  12. Laurabb says:

    I love her, I always have so maybe that is why I think she looks great.

  13. Hoya_chick says:

    I think she may overcompensate at home and wait on him like she does because she makes more money and that sorta restores ‘order’ and makes him feel like a man. Does that makes sense? I know women like that, and men who demand it. It’s a weird dynamic but they’ve been married a long time and I never hear anything negative about them so maybe it works for them?

    Oh and I remember reading that that was the original use for Botox, to paralyze the glands for people who sweat profusely and then people were like wait we can use it to paralyze out faces tooo! Ha. I think.

    • KC says:

      Using botox to control sweating was one of the first uses the FDA approved, but the original use of botox was to treat eye muscle disorders (crossed eyes, ticks, spams, etc), so I think people probably realized that it treated crows feet as a side effect from the therapy. Kind of like how Viagra was designed to treat heart disease but during trials they found a side effect that had a more lucrative market.

  14. littlemissnaughty says:

    LMAO Sure. Whenever people wish for another time period because they think some things were better then, I desperately want to sent them back to that time so they can actually experience it. God, I’d love that.

    Other than that, she doesn’t bother me at all. I do appreciate her honesty about cosmetic procedures.

    • Esmom says:

      Yes and yes. The 1950s might seem ideal to some but, for example, African Americans would probably disagree.

      As for her procedures, I like how she owns up to it and still has lines and movement in her face. While Nicole Kidman looks like a wax doll and claims to have had ZERO done to her face.

  15. Jayna says:

    They are always tongue in cheek with their quips. He’s very supportive of their career and make a good team. I wait on my main too a lot just because I adore him. Mark has an acting gig these days and they have a production company together also. I think they just enjoy life.

    • Belle says:

      +1 Very much agree… and I don’t think he is really wishing to be back in the 50’s. A lot of people have a certain… nostalgia, I guess, for different eras. Nothing wrong with that.

      Oh, I don’t wait on my husband all that much though 😉 hehe

  16. fabgrrl says:

    I’ve heard of the armpit botox thing for professional models. It makes sense, no one wants to see pit stains on the runway. But it seems silly to do at the gym.

  17. HadleyB says:

    I so love when celebs when they say they get Botox every 7 or 12 months. Really? Botox does not last longer than 3 months.

    It kicks in after 2 weeks, you get the FULL effect after a month and it slowly starts dying off after 2 you can feel it dying off you can see it, so when they say for THEM it lasts longer than 3 months they are lying.

    Everyone wishes it lasted 7 months or a year, why do you think Drs are making so $$ off this stuff? You have to go in every 3-4 months to keep the full effect.

    But at least she admits it, not like we didnt know. She’s annoying at times but I kinda like her.

    • Dreamyk says:

      Who is she trying to BS with the Botox 7 month fairy tale?

      She’s exhausting. Her energy is maniacal and not in a good way. It must be extremely stressful to have to be the best at everything all day, every day.

  18. Talie says:

    I’m sure he finds his way to degrade her and the money she makes.

  19. Lindsey says:

    Desi and Lucy had a contentious and bitter divorce…why would anyone look up to that marriage???

  20. inthekitchen says:

    People like this exhaust me. Too perky and energetic. I’m sure she is genuine in her hyper-happy-mania, but people like this always come across as phony IMO. Are they ever relaxed? I had a boss like this once and not only was she passive aggressive in her “niceness” but she stressed me the heck out with her unending “energy.” She ran around like a chicken with her head cut off but never managed to get anything done on time. What’s the use in all that energy then?!

    Their stupid comments about wishing they lived in the 1950s – especially him, seeing that he is a minority – grate on me. I don’t think people who want to go “back to the good old days” really understand what it was like for women, people of color, factory workers, etc etc. Annoying.

  21. Chelley says:

    Did Mark Consuelos, a half Mexican man, say that he would be happy in the 1950’s? I’m so sick of people who think the 1950’s was like Leave it to Beaver or I Love Lucy. It was hardly like that. If you weren’t a white, heterosexual, Christian man, the 1950’s was a terrible time for you. Please stop with this b.s.

  22. lucy2 says:

    The 1950s thing would bug the hell out of me, but if she’s happy with it, whatever.

    I’ve heard of botox for people who sweat an abnormal amount, but to do it for vanity reasons so she doesn’t sweat at the gym? That’s a little bonkers, IMO. It’s the gym, you’re supposed to sweat, that’s a natural response to exercise. Blocking that doesn’t sound like the best idea.

    • Belle says:

      I kind of think her comment about the gym and the botox under her arms are being misinterpreted. I doubt she does botox under her arms just so she doesn’t sweat at the gym.

      I’m a sweater… always have been. When I’m nervous, hot, cold… you name it. No matter what deodorant I tried. I tried a prescription many years ago that burned like crazy when I put it on… LOL I ended up washing it off after a short time, but noticed it did help the sweating for a few days anyway. Later I came across a product called SweatBlock… similar to that old rx, but not nearly as irritating. Used once a week at bedtime, along with a plain deodorant daily (no antiperspirant), helps quite a bit 🙂

      Oh, stopping (or limiting) underarm sweat is fine… as long as the rest of the body is allowed to sweat as it usually does.

  23. Runs with Scissors says:

    She scares the hell out of me, she’s like a manic, diminutive barbie doll on Adderall

  24. Sweet Dee says:

    Note to self: you can still ‘tox yourself into oblivion and look human. It’s when you start nipping and tucking that it gets weird. Got it.

    Also, if I were that rich I would never go to a gym. There would be a gym in my home.

    • Lisa says:

      I want a real home gym. Loooord, do I want one. Lottery win, please.

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      Hi Sweet Dee 🙂

      Yeah I would kill for just a treadmill. I could technically afford to buy one-my issue is that I live on the 3rd floor of a historic 3-family and my neighbors below would likely shoot me.

      Also, I have nowhere to put it. *sigh*

  25. aston martin says:

    God, I love Kelly. I can’t even help myself. Tiny, coffee cup cradling, giggling, awesome shoe-wearing, sweet, funny Kelly. I smile watching her show only a teeny bit less than I smile watching Ellen.

    I think you who say their “traditional” relationship dynamic works due to her bringing home the bacon and then trying to let him be alpha male to make up for it are right on the money. Pardon the pun that I didn’t realize I made till just now. My husband is breadwinner (God I hate that term, but whatever) in our house and I stay home. I constantly feel like I need to “earn” my right to stay home by keeping the house clean, laundry done, kids homework done, bills paid, scheduling accurate, etc. When I think about it it sort of bugs me because I don’t really subscribe to the traditional roles idea in terms of the man working and the woman staying home. I wonder if it’s easier and more enjoyable when the roles are reversed like with Kelly and Mark? Not that they don’t share parenting and chores. “Chores” hahah I bet they have someone taking care of all of that, but you get my point.

    Anyway, loves her.

  26. bopit says:

    You know, if that’s the husband/wife dynamic that they’ve chosen, and they both seem happy and have maintained a marriage for this long, who’s to say what they’re doing is archaic or wrong? They make it work for them, and that’s more than can be said for most Hollywood couples.

  27. Joanna says:

    i think it was a harmless comment he made. and people are making something out of nothing.

  28. Shannon says:

    He means they sleep in seperate beds

  29. TheOriginalKitten says:

    He meant it as a JOKE, guys. He’s always struck me as a really funny, sweet guy.

    I love Kelly Ripa, I just do. I think she’s really smart and funny and I love how self-deprecating she is.

    Also, the penthouse they’re selling is BANANAS.

  30. RobN says:

    I know plenty of successful women who enjoy taking care of their husbands. It makes them feel feminine and “wifey”, while at the same time they’re killing it at work. I don’t think it’s that odd at all. You don’t have to be all one way or the other.

    Although it makes me tired just watching her, I can’t help but like her. She’s honest about what she does, and how hard she has to work at it, and that’s a breath of fresh air compared to all the celebrities who like to pretend that they wake up every morning looking stunning and skinny.

  31. Lisa says:

    Whatever, baby. I want a Dan Conner, myself.

  32. lrm says:

    i don’t know about her sad insecurity physically speaking, but she is an absolute hoot on Live-she’s funny….I remember the first time i saw it-i don’t watch it very often, mostly in hotels on trips-and was surprised how hilarious and quick her humor is….i like her.
    botox under armpits just seems like a bad idea. The Lymph system needs to do its work for detox of blood, essential for skin and organ health….

    and if the original reason was to control excess sweating, people do realize that the real cause of excess sweating will then not be cured, right?
    same with eye twitches, etc
    it will not cure the cause of those….the twitch is the symptom; the excess sweating is the symptom-of something else going on in the body….

  33. Maritza says:

    I like Kelly she’s cute and funny, she and Mark make a beautiful couple.

  34. Jamie says:

    After reading this and noticing similarities, I followed the link and read what Kelly has said in the past. I’m a 26 y/o australian and my husband is a 24 y/o Australian and our relationship is quite similar.
    Don’t get me wrong – before I quit my job to have our daughter I was successful in my mining career (I bought my first home at 21, owned two cars before I met my husband) and I loved working. So when I came home at night and when I eventually resigned it felt natural to take the same pride in all the things I can do for my husband at home.
    Pete* is pretty traditional in his views but it makes him happy and it makes me happy too. He is also an absolute gentleman – he always opens doors, helps old ladies over puddles.. And he always takes out the rubbish 🙂

  35. Jamie says:

    Oops

  36. Jamie says:

    Attack of the triple post

  37. John Wayne Lives says:

    One of my closest friends is like her with the crazy energy. Sometimes I envy her and sometimes I just tell her to sit the f@$k down

  38. Jill says:

    For some reason she is annoying to me. Maybe it’s her creepy eyes, high pitched raspy voice or the scary eyes. I am not a fan.
    As far as her husband? Well, that is what happens when the wife is the bread winner. Some men do get bitter and resentful although they wont necessarily say so.