The Silly Reason Kelly Ripa Considered A 'Gray Divorce' From Husband Mark Consuelos

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are open to getting extremely personal, even to the point of making inappropriate confessions. The couple often tells stories about their home lives on air with a snappy back and forth discussion. During an October 2024 episode, Ripa recounted an article she read about the prevalence of older couples getting divorced, also known as a "gray divorce." Surprisingly, Ripa said she briefly contemplated divorcing Consuelos when she listened to the article. The narrator's hypnotic, beguiling tone lulled her into falsely wanting to end her marriage. "It sounds like something amazing, and then you realize, oh, this is very dark subject matter," Ripa admitted on "Live." She also impersonated the voice's persuasive effect, demonstrating how it briefly deceived her.

Consuelos was caught off guard when his wife shared her enthusiasm for the article. "You came home from the trip and you're like, 'I read this amazing article,'" he recounted. Ripa countered that the adjective she used was "fascinating," and explained that her husband wasn't too happy about the gray divorce topic. "Mark got very defensive," she noted. 

Despite Ripa's short-lived reaction about a gray divorce, Ripa and Consuelos have been married since 1996, and they don't have any intentions of dissolving their strong bond. Since they believe renewing wedding vows is a harbinger of divorce, the couple plans to avoid this practice at all costs. "I'm a lifer. I want to be married forever," Consuelos declared on Ripa's podcast, "Let's Talk Off Camera." 

Back in March 2023, Kelly Ripa discussed gray divorce on her podcast, "Let's Talk Off Camera,"  along with Mark Consuelos and their marriage counselor. "I think one of the great benefits of going to marriage counseling, especially when things are good, and you want them to get better," Consuelos explained, "is that the old habits and the old behaviors ... I thought twice about doing them." For Consuelos, one of his past problematic behaviors was jealousy, while Ripa has worked to curb her impulse to hang up on her husband when she's angry. Even so, their therapist noted that Ripa and Consuelos had a committed, loving connection when she first met them. 

On both the podcast and "Live," Ripa and Consuelos mentioned that some older couples divorce after their children grow up due to a lack of shared interests. While they are also empty nesters, Consuelos saw this life change as an opportunity resolve conflicts more effectively and strengthen their bond. 

After being married for decades years, it seems to be smooth sailing for Ripa and Consuelos. They found the early days of their relationship to be more difficult. After a breakup during their dating days, Ripa and Consuelos appeared as guests on "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee." Consuelos apologized, and, after working through their difficulties, they married a day later. "We really worked at it," Ripa informed People. "We fought for our marriage when it would have been easier to quit and throw in the towel."