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Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa returned to their show, Live with Kelly and Mark, on Monday, bearing the heartbreaking news of the passing of Consuelos’ father, Saul Consuelos.
Consuelos expressed that it was “nice to be back” on the daytime talk show after a two-week hiatus, yet he had to share the sorrowful news of his father’s death at the age of 23 following a prolonged illness.
“He passed away peacefully. Such a fascinating man,” Consuelos reflected with sadness.
Ripa spoke about how fortunate they were to have known Saul.
“You have been blessed because you knew him your whole life,” she said, her voice filled with emotion as she addressed her husband and co-host. “I only had the privilege of knowing my father-in-law for 31 years, but they were the best years of my life. I can truthfully say I will miss him every day for the rest of my life, as I know you will, as our children will. He was the greatest person I’ve ever known, and he truly embodies everything you are.”
Consuelos clarified, “All the good stuff.”
The Riverdale star recalled receiving “a lot of lectures” from his father, who he said “would make [him] watch him” fix things around the house.
“And I didn’t know at the time why he was doing that. Because now at the house, I’m able to at least do half the stuff that he does at our house,” he explained.
Ripa agreed, “You do everything the way he did it. They can fix everything with a toothpick. You only need a toothpick.”
“Yeah, and some duct tape,” Consuelos teased. “But I learned the most by just watching him. Those are the lessons I learned from him, by watching the man he was.”
Consuelos shared that his father immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico in his early teens, and “served his country for 30 years.”
“Ended up at Special Operations Command in Tampa. This young kid from Mexico got his education through the Navy, was always going to school,” he elaborated.
Ripa added, “[He] was brilliant.”
“Brilliant… [He] got his Masters while I was a kid. He loved this country so much,” Consuelos continued. “He really is, I would say, an example, if you’re going to put a face to an immigrant, he would be the prime example of what this country promises people here in this country. And he raised three pretty good kids.”
While Ripa said that Consuelos and his siblings are “extraordinary” and now serve as his father’s “living legacy,” Consuelos said that they are “trying to convince” his mother Camila to move to New York, though she is “such a character” and “very stubborn.”
“I don’t know, what do you think? A cooking segment here on Fridays with Camila?” he proposed to Live EP Michael Gelman.
Ripa echoed, “Yeah, ‘Cooking with Camila’ on Fridays?”
Ripa expressed how “grateful” she was for her father-in-law, who would step in for his son and help Ripa when Live went on remote trips while Consuelos was away working. She also shared how “how lucky” her and Consuelos’ kids have been to be “adults” and to still have three grandparents.
“They took it particularly hard. This is their first loss that they’ve ever experienced in their lives,” she said of Saul’s passing. “I said, ‘By the time I was eight, I had no grandparents. And you got to have deep, meaningful conversations.’”
She also recalled the “long period of time” where people mistook her father-in-law for her husband on Back-to-School nights.
“He was always with me on back-to-school night because he was very involved with the curriculum of the school, and he wanted to know things,” she shared. “And I remember one year, randomly, you showed up. And they were like, ‘Is this your new husband? Because he resembles your old husband.’ And I was like, ‘No, this is my husband. That was my father-in-law.’ But everybody assumed for a long time because my father-in-law was my husband. Because in New York, it’s not unusual. It’s pretty common. He was the average age range of all the dads.”
Consuelos explained that he “was thankfully able to get down there and say goodbye” to his father. but noted that he was in the midst of rehearsals for his Broadway debut in Fallen Angels, which he described as “such a welcome distraction.”
“I knew I had to keep on going, especially during that time. It’s been great, we’ve had such a good time doing it,” he added. “And I know he’s there watching, and he’s able to be a part of that.”
Ripa commended Consuelos for being “the strongest person” she knows.
“You continually inspire me everyday,” she said. “And all of the good things that I love about you, I loved those same things about your dad, really. So I just want to say thank you, Dad, for everything you gave to us. Everything.”
When reached for comment by DECIDER, a representative for Consuelos said, “Out of respect for Mark’s dad who was a private person, we’d prefer to just keep things to the remarks Mark shared during host chat.”
Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. Check out their website for your local listings.