Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Tearfully Say Goodbye to 'Live' Studio That Defined Their Family and Career
The end of an era hit home for Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos as they wrapped their final episode of 'Live with Kelly and Mark' at its longtime Upper West Side studio, marking the end of a 37-year run at 7 Lincoln Square.
This location, nestled at 67th Street and Columbus Avenue, has been the heart of 'Live with Kelly and Mark' since its early days with Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford. Over the years, it's welcomed new co-hosts and eras, including Ripa, who joined in 2001.
Consuelos, who officially became Ripa's co-host in 2023, told PEOPLE the space holds deep sentimental value. "Our kids grew up here," Consuelos shared. "They'd come visit mom here a lot — they were always backstage, even when they were babies."
Ripa added that their three children—Michael, Lola, and Joaquin—were raised around the studio. "They came to work with me every day until they went to school," she said. "They would go to 'All My Children' with me, they would come here with me... we meant when we say they grew up in this building, in these four walls."
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She explained how balancing work and motherhood was possible because of the show's schedule. "You have to remember, I had my kids back in a time when maternity leave was not really a thing... I was able to be a full-time working woman and a full-time mother simultaneously, which is a very rare thing and not something I take for granted at all."
Consuelos added, "Some of our closest friends are people that work here."
Their emotional connection goes even further back. After briefly breaking up in 1996, the two were reunited as surprise guests at 'Live with Kelly and Mark', leading to an impromptu reconciliation and next-day Vegas wedding. "So we owe a lot to this place," Ripa said. "And it's going to be hard to replicate."
