Kelly Ripa is back on Live with Kelly and Mark after a six-week absence. The 55-year-old host returned to the daytime talk show on September 8, 2026, alongside her husband and co-host, Mark Consuelos. Ripa had stepped away from the show in late July to recover from gum graft surgery. She had delayed the surgery for five years and says she is “so much better.”
In an interview with People, Ripa revealed that she had hoped to postpone the procedure until she retired. Her dentist eventually convinced her that she could not wait any longer. She said, “I really did because I was like, ‘I’ll wait until I retire.’ And then, eventually, my dentist was like, ‘Okay, now we have to finish it.'”
The recovery kept Ripa away from the morning talk show for six weeks. Her dentist also instructed her not to speak while her mouth healed. However, Ripa admitted she didn’t follow that advice very well. She said, “Oh, I was talking the whole time.” Ripa explained that she was “talking like crazy” despite being told to rest her mouth.
Her recovery also included significant swelling, which led some of her producers to think she had cotton tucked under her lower lip. Ripa recalled telling them, “There is no cotton. That is just swelling.” She also spent some of her recovery time on vacation. Ripa described having stitches in her mouth as “a little strange” but said she is feeling much better now.
Kelly Ripa’s long-running career continues alongside Mark Consuelos
Ripa’s return comes as Live begins its 39th season. She first joined the morning talk show in 2001 alongside Regis Philbin and has remained one of its most popular hosts. Ripa has now spent 26 seasons in the Live franchise and has earned multiple Daytime Emmy nominations for her work on the program.
Her husband, Mark Consuelos, has been her co-host since April 2023, when the pair officially began hosting Live with Kelly and Mark together. The couple previously worked together on All My Children, where they met before marrying in 1996.
During Ripa’s recovery, Consuelos continued hosting the show with guest co-hosts, including Kevin Jonas, Mila Kunis, Pamela Adlon, and Scott Foley. Ripa’s return now reunites the couple at the Live desk as they begin another season together.
Originally reported on ComingSoon.
