Standing on Ceremony's Mark Consuelos Addresses Rumors of Joining Wife Kelly Ripa as Permanent Live Co-Host

As TV icon Regis Philbin readies to step down as co-host of the syndicated talk show Live With Regis and Kelly, rumors have swirled that Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays’ Mark Consuelos, who is married to co-host Kelly Ripa, may fill Philbin’s seat permanently. Broadway.com recently chatted with Consuelos to find out if the buzz is true.

“No one’s asked me to do it,” said Consuelos, who has frequently served as a guest host on the show. “As much buzz and conjecture there is about certain people, nobody has asked me. I wish Regis well, and if anybody deserves to have some time to do what they want to do and move on, it’s him. The guy works so hard.”

While Ryan Seacrest and Andy Cohen are also rumored as possible replacements, Consuelos noted, “Whoever gets that seat will be the luckiest man, woman, child, whatever they are. They’ll be in great company. My wife is so funny and talented and never lets anybody fail next to her.”

Should Consuelos eventually receive an offer, does he think a full-time gig alongside his wife would create too much together-time? “I would probably annoy my wife,” he joked. “We did work together for a number of years on All My Children [as lovers Hayley and Mateo], and those were really long days. This show is only an hour, so I think we’d be OK.”

Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays officially opens at off-Broadway’s Minetta Lane Theatre on November 13. Check back on November 14 for an in-depth Q&A with Consuelos.