Mark Consuelos Tells Wife Kelly Ripa He’d Stay in a ‘Loveless Marriage’ to Stay Near Their Dog Lena

Kimberlee SpeakmanTue, August 11, 2026 at 5:36 PM UTC

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Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos with their dog Lena.Credit: Kelly and Mark/TikTok -

Mark Consuelos joked on the latest episode of Live with Kelly and Mark that he’d stay in a loveless marriage to keep close to the couple’s dog Lena, whom they adopted in 2021

The discussion came after they talked over a new Pennsylvania bill addressing pet custody in divorces

Consuelos teased that if he and Ripa ever got divorced, he would “stay up at night, wondering what [Lena] is doing”

Mark Consuelos revealed just how deep his devotion to Lena, the dog he shares with wife Kelly Ripa, goes.

The 55-year-old actor shared on the Aug. 11 episode of Live with Kelly and Mark that there is little he wouldn’t do to stay connected to their beloved dog Lena, whom the couple adopted in March 2021.

“I mean, listen. Let’s just put it this way. I would stay in a loveless marriage just to make sure I could be with Lena every day. That’s how much I love Lena,” Consuelos admitted.

“Is that all you’re asking for, is a loveless marriage?” asked Ripa, 55, before she teasingly added, “Done!”

A photo of Mark Consuelos and his dog Lena.Credit: Kelly Ripa/Instagram

The pair had been discussing Pennsylvania’s introduction of a new bill proposes “new rules about shared schedule, custody arrangements, and divisions of costs associated with the pet” when a pet parent couple gets divorced. Ripa noted the legislation seeks to treat pet custody cases more like child custody cases.

Consuelos shared that if he and Ripa ever got divorced, he would “stay up at night, wondering what [Lena] is doing.”

The All My Children actress added that he’d be “just wondering if there was some other man petting her.”

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During the segment, a photo of the Maltese and Shih Tzu mix went up on the screen for the audience to see, as the couple gushed about their cute pup. “That’s my Lena,” Consuelos said, as Ripa added, “She really is a doll face. She’s such a doll.”

The couple, who also share three kids — Michael, 29, Lola, 25, and Joaquin, 23 — adopted Lena after she was featured on a “Happy Pets” segment on Live.Ripa and Consuelos fell in love with her during the broadcast and added her to their family.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos at Radio City Music Hall on June 07, 2026.Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty

The new episodes of Live With Kelly and Mark this week mark Ripa’s return to daytime TV screens after being absent from the show for two weeks due to gum graft surgery, a common periodontal procedure used to treat receding or thinning gums by transferring healthy gum tissue to cover exposed tooth roots, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

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Though Ripa is featured in Live episodes beginning Aug. 10, those were taped before the show’s annual summer hiatus and feature new conversations from repackaged interviews from the past season.

Her first newly taped appearance since her surgery is expected to come when Live with Kelly and Mark returns to its live format after the show’s summer break ends on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”