Kelly Ripa recently revealed one of husband Mark Consuelos’ parenting mistakes — he took their son to Hooters for a playdate! Needless to say, Ripa wasn’t impressed with the move, though Consuelos did his best to defend the choice.
On the Tuesday, September 10 episode of Live With Kelly and Mark, Consuelos said he was “proud” that the Hooters restaurant chain is based in his home state of Florida. Ripa was quick to recall that her husband once took their son to Hooters when he was younger.
“I remember when you took our son to Hooters.” Ripa said.
Consuelos replied, “No, no, no.”
“He was having a playdate with his friend… I’m not kidding,” Ripa said. “The two dads took the sons to Hooters.”
The Live With Kelly and Mark host continued, “They came in reeking of cigarette smoke. I was like, ‘Did you guys sit in the smoking section?’ They were like, ‘The whole place is the smoking section.’”
Consuelos attempted to dig himself out of the situation, throwing the other dad under the bus. “To be fair, we went on a dad and kid playdate, right? And, you know, sometimes, when your kid’s friends with a kid, the parents are like, ‘Alright, fine, I’ve gotta hang out with the parent as well,’” he said. “It wasn’t like my go-to like hangout.”
The actor continued, “It was solidified by the fact [the other dad] said, ‘We’re gonna go take the kids out to eat chicken wings.’ I said, ‘Sure.’ And he was driving, and then we pulled into Hooters.”
Hooters responded to Ripa on X, writing, “Hey @kellyripa, we know Hooters isn’t, like, your go-to hangout, but now that the boys are grown, bring them and @MarkConsuelos back for some wings. I’ll reserve a table so y’all can talk about that playdate… off camera. #LetsTalkOffCamera.”
Ripa and Consuelos have two sons, Michael, 27, and Joaquin, 21, and a daughter, Lola, 23.
During a September 10 interview with E! News Ripa and Consuelos shared more insight into their family dynamic, including what it’s like to be empty nesters.
“Your kids are a little bit older now, but what advice do you have for parents who are maybe becoming empty nesters or sending their kids off to college?” the interviewer asked.
Ripa said, “There’s an adjustment period.” Consuelos remarked, “It’s gonna feel bad. You’re gonna feel a loss and that’s normal. If it didn’t feel like a loss, then maybe there’s a different conversation.”
She added, “But then, it sort of flips and then you get really good and comfortable in your new routine, which is… you’re going to have to learn to adjust to like cook less food. The first meal I cooked after all three kids left, it was like a meal for 10 people. I couldn’t figure it out. I just went into denial about it. But then, after that, the trick is to act like you’re not having a good time every time they call.”
The couple shared that they’ve taken impromptu trips and are having fun as empty nesters. “We can go away on the weekend and not worry about it,” Ripa said. “Because we don’t have to be responsible for anybody else.”
