Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos had a sweet family reunion behind the scenes of Live With Kelly and Mark.
The couple returned to the daytime talk show after taking an Italian vacation on Monday, June 30. Between commercial breaks, the hosting duo was surprised by none other than their adorable dog, Lena.
“Reunited with Lena after vacation 🥹🥹,” the show’s official TikTok page captioned a video of the off-air moment. The show’s live studio audience erupted in “awws” as Consuelos hugged Lena before placing her on the ground to greet Ripa.
“We haven’t seen her since we’ve been back from vacation,” Ripa told the audience. Consuelos later held Lena as he and his wife sat at their hosting desk.
“Mark was petting every dog that he saw on vacation,” Ripa added. “He was like, ‘We have a dog,’ to random strangers.” Lena once again joined the spouses as they waved goodbye to the show’s audience after the episode.
@livekellyandmarkReunited with Lena after vacation 🥹🥹♬ original sound – Kelly and Mark
Ripa and Consuelos adopted their youngest family back in 2021, not long after Lena was featured during a pet-themed show segment that March. “My whole fear was that I didn’t want [our other dog] Chewie to feel replaced in any way,” Ripa said while sharing the news on the show. “So, we always make sure that we give Chewie the first attention.”
Ripa went on to tell viewers, “If you’re thinking about getting a dog, call your local animal shelter. Those dogs are just dreams. They somehow know. They know, they’re aware, they look at you like, ‘I’m gonna make this easy for you. You work with me, I’ll work with you.’”
Ripa and Consuelos’ joyful pet reunion comes nearly five months after their eldest dog, Chewie, passed away at the age of 17. On the February 5 episode of Live With Kelly and Mark, Consuelos explained that a vet performed an at-home euthanasia after Chewie struggled with multiple health struggles.
“You think it’s, ‘Okay, I’m doing the right thing. This is going to be, not easy, but it’s gonna be —’ It’s probably one of the toughest things that we’ve had to do as a married couple,” Consuelos shared, calling Chewie “a great part of our life.”
A tearful Ripa apologized for crying on-air, stating, “She gave us so much. We’re filled with gratitude for this dog. … As each one of our kids left for college and then moved out on their own, Chewie remained right there. Our steadfast companion.”
She continued, “We’ve been so lucky. We’re very fortunate people in our lives. We’ve not had loss in our lives, tremendous loss like this. We still have all of our parents. We’re so fortunate, so I feel very bad crying in front of you when people have — there are much bigger problems in the world, and I understand that. But you have to understand that this dog was so special, and she was such a great girl.”
Live With Kelly and Mark, Weekdays, check local listings