Friday’s episode of LIVE with Kelly and Mark took an unexpected turn when a very familiar face walked back onto the studio set. Ryan Seacrest returned for a sit-down chat with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos — and within minutes, the conversation had spiralled into playful chaos.

The trio were chatting about Ryan’s long-running game show Wheel of Fortune when Mark casually asked a question that left Ryan visibly stunned.

“Are you doing the wheel ride?” Mark asked.

Ryan couldn’t hide his disbelief. “Mark, have you ever seen the show? The host never spins the wheel. The contestant spins the wheel. It’s been on weeknights for the last 43 years,” he shot back.

Caught out, Mark admitted he rarely tunes in. “I’m at the gym,” he explained.

That only fuelled Ryan’s teasing, as he questioned whether Mark had done any homework ahead of the interview. “Do you do the research before the guests come on?” he asked pointedly.

Kelly quickly jumped in with a grin. “He doesn’t read the cards right,” she said.

“Do you have to brief him? I’m shocked,” Ryan laughed.

“I brief him, but he doesn’t listen — much like you,” Kelly fired back. “He doesn’t listen.”

Mark officially joined LIVE in 2023, following Ryan’s departure from the show. At the time, Ryan explained he was stepping away due to the strain of travelling constantly between his home in Los Angeles and the New York studio, along with a desire to focus on other projects.

But the transition wasn’t as smooth behind the scenes as fans may have thought.

Earlier this year, Kelly revealed that the couple were initially unsure about hosting together. Speaking on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, she admitted Mark had been reluctant when he was first offered the permanent role.

“It was really about convincing Mark,” Kelly said. “Because initially when they came to Mark, he flat out refused.”

She even questioned the idea herself. “I thought it was kind of a bad idea,” she confessed. “A husband and a wife hosting a morning show is different from a husband and wife acting together or producing something.”

Despite their doubts, Kelly believes Mark’s unapologetic personality is exactly why viewers have embraced him.

“The audience really responds to Mark because Mark has a ‘gives zero [expletive]’ attitude,” she said. “There’s no artifice with him. If he hates something, he hates it out loud. If he thinks something is dumb, he says it.”

The couple, who share three children — Michael, Lola and Joaquin — have been together for 31 years, and Kelly insists that honesty is their secret weapon on screen.

“We’re not afraid to express ourselves publicly,” she added. “We’re not worried about protecting each other’s feelings. We just say what’s on our minds — and I guess people find that relatable.”