Mark Consuelos was the featured guest of Wednesday’s (July 23) new episode of The View, on hand to talk about his new sports docuseries Running With the Wolves, which premieres on ESPN on July 29.
During his interview with the cohosts, Consuelos got the chance to talk about his personal life with wife Kelly Ripa — particularly how the two managed to overcome symptoms of Empty Nest Syndrome after their youngest child, Joaquin, left for college.
“We bought a team,” he joked at first, referring to their purchase of the Italian soccer club Campobasso FC, which is the subject of the new series. “It hit us about a month leading up to sending him off to college,” the Live With Kelly and Mark coanchor then admitted. “And then a couple days after we dropped him off, it was heavy for me. And then Kelly said, ‘What are we doing? Let’s go.’ And we went to a beach out on Long Island, and we were feeling sad. And then we saw a little family with seven kids and two families searching for all the little lost shoes on the beach. And we just said, ‘Suckers!’”
Elsewhere in the interview, Consuelos talked about how his ownership of the soccer club was a personal dream come true for him, who was born in Spain but spent his formative years in Italy.
“It’s a big passion of mine. I grew up in Italy, the first five years of my life,” Consuelos explained before saying of the club’s ownership, “I pinch myself.”
He also talked about why he and Ripa have had such a successful working relationship on-screen, even with this new show. “I think it’s the chemistry. I think it works because she’s amazing, and I know that when I do a show with her, I’m going to be safe, and she won’t let me fail.”
“When I was a guest host with her, it was so easy. I’d get woken up, it was 7:30, and someone’s like, ‘Hey, you want to do the show? Someone’s sick?’ I’d say, ‘Sure.’ And I didn’t have to really do anything. I just smiled. And the first 20 minutes, she carries, and then when I got the job, it became a little more serious. I learned how to interview people. I’m still learning. I learned how to read off the teleprompter, which I can’t read very well. It’s hard!”
The View, weekdays, 11 a.m. ET, ABC