Kelly Ripa's cold gesture toward Mark Consuelos resurfaces before tense on-air 'gray divorce' discussion

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Kelly Ripa's cold gesture toward her husband Mark Consuelos has come back into the spotlight after the couple's difficult "gray divorce" discussion on 'Live with Kelly and Mark'.

Kelly shocked her husband and the audience by bringing up the topic of a "gray divorce" during a live broadcast, per Daily Mail.

Fans were buzzing when the matter was casually brought up, and Mark was clearly surprised by his wife's remarks.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos addressed personal issues on air during couples therapy

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, married for 28 years, disclosed some of their marital issues during a live on-air interview with their personal therapist, Dr Linda Carter, in 2023.

During their conversation with Dr Carter, Kelly asked the New York-based psychologist how couples who work together can handle arguments that occur just before work to prevent those conflicts from impacting their professional lives.

Kelly asked, "Let's say a couple has an argument at home and let's say they have to go to work together. What's the best way to deal with that?"

"It's really important to have a ritual, something to tell the other person that things are fine, the argument is over, maybe by holding hands, squeezing their partner's hand - a signal," Dr Carter responded.

Kelly added, "What if the argument isn't over though?" to which the doctor responded, "Then it can be a signal that says, 'We'll get back to this later but for now we're putting it on hold.'"

Mark revealed that he and Kelly had a "disagreement" before they were required to attend a "public dinner party" together. He mentioned that he tried to convey that he was "done with the argument" by holding his wife's hand at the event, as she suggested, but his gesture was not reciprocated.

He remarked, "What I felt on the other side of my warmth was the coldest, deadest hand. When she's happy with me, she gives me a squeeze, a little touch. [But that night] it was like a corpse. I was holding a corpse. She does it on purpose."

In response to a question on how couples could deal with being together all the time during the Covid-19 pandemic, the actress revealed that she "sometimes" finds it difficult too, per Daily Mail.

Kelly Ripa humorously addresses her husband's 'passive-aggressive' behavior

Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa often poke fun at each other on 'Live', and during the episode on October 15, the former 'All My Children' star couldn't resist teasing her husband once again.

Speaking about National Grouch Day at the beginning of Tuesday's broadcast, Kelly—who has been married to Mark since 1996—jokingly said that it was something that related to her husband, per Hello! Magazine.

Kelly remarked, "You are such a grouch! You're habitually irritable!"

Mark defended himself by saying, "That's just being a dad!" Following that, Kelly was asked about their plans to commemorate the day.

"There's nothing we do to celebrate... You can sigh at me in the passive aggressive way that you do," Kelly responded.

Kelly and Mark got married two years after meeting on the set of 'All My Children' in 1994. The couple has opened up a lot about their personal lives since they started working together as co-hosts on 'Live' in 2023.

Kelly, meanwhile, shocked her husband and the 'Live with Kelly and Mark' audience this week by bringing up the topic of divorce live on the show.

She began by saying that she was reading an article in a magazine about the trend known as the "gray divorce," which refers to the rising frequency of divorces among those over 50.

Kelly then joked that reading the article made her consider seeking a "gray" divorce as well.