After stepping away from “Live with Kelly and Mark” without explanation, Mark Consuelos finally revealed the real reason behind his sudden absence — and it was far more serious than fans expected.
On the November 17 episode, the 54-year-old actor and co-host admitted he’d recently undergone his first-ever colonoscopy, calling himself out for being behind on a test that could literally save lives.
“I’m 54 and I hadn’t had one yet, so that’s late,” he confessed.
Mark’s timing is indeed considered overdue. Current American Cancer Society guidelines recommend people begin routine colon cancer screening at age 45, nearly a decade earlier than when he finally went in.
He explained that he had the procedure done under general anesthesia, joking that he woke up feeling unusually well-rested and slightly too chatty in his head — especially when it came to one member of the medical staff. Mark admitted there was a “really, really cute” nurse attending to him, and he briefly considered playing matchmaker between her and his youngest son, 22-year-old Joaquin. He didn’t actually say anything at the time, but the story definitely followed him home.
Kelly later told viewers that Mark came back from the colonoscopy “hungry and wild,” buzzing about the entire experience — including his anesthesia-fueled internal debate over setting up the nurse with their son. Only after they both squeezed some humor out of the situation did he share the important part: his results were clear. The audience and viewers alike exhaled in relief.
That confession also finally solved a lingering mystery for fans. Earlier in the fall, Mark abruptly vanished from the show for a short period, and no official explanation was shared. In his place, comedian Steve Patterson temporarily joined Kelly at the Hudson Square studio. Ripa kept things light by joking with New York City Marathon runners in the audience, asking if any of them had seen her husband still out on the course. Patterson piled on with jokes about the “last guy crawling to the finish line.” Now viewers know: while the jokes were flying, Mark was quietly taking care of a major health screening.
The colonoscopy isn’t the only health issue Mark has faced recently. Back in September, he surprised fans by revealing he’d injured his arm in his sleep. He told the story on-air: one night in August, while dreaming, he threw a punch so forcefully that he hyperextended his arm. Demonstrating the motion live, he winced as he showed exactly how he’d managed to hurt himself without ever leaving the bed.
Imaging later revealed a slight tear in his brachioradialis tendon and a possible tear in his bicep tendon as well. Kelly, never one to sugarcoat, joked that her husband was “falling apart,” walking the line between concern and humor. Mark, on the other hand, leaned into the absurdity, laughing about the reality of getting older — and how you know you’ve hit that stage when you can injure yourself just by dreaming.
What made it worse? He spent “Do It Week” — a physically demanding series of segments on the show — pushing through the pain before finally getting checked out. Only after the fact did viewers realize how much he’d been gritting his teeth behind the scenes.
Then there was the Italian incident. During a trip to see Campobasso, the soccer team he and Kelly invested in back in 2022, Mark pulled a muscle while taking a penalty kick. He headed into the training facility for a quick look from the team’s doctor, expecting a simple assessment. Instead, he found himself in a deeply awkward situation: standing there in his underwear while the doctor, in a well-meaning but poorly timed move, invited his wife and two teenage daughters in to meet the famed “Riverdale” star.
By the time they walked in, Mark was half-dressed, startled, and trying to save what was left of his dignity. Kelly later painted the scene on-air with painful, hilarious detail, making it clear he was not exaggerating his embarrassment. Mark chalked it up to a misunderstanding — and maybe a bit of “lost in translation” chaos.
Taken together, the sleep injury, tendon tears, pulled muscle in Italy, and a colonoscopy nearly ten years overdue paint a clear picture: Mark’s body has been sending warning signs, and he’s finally paying attention.
Kelly used his story to drive home a bigger message for viewers: there are health issues you can’t ignore and problems you truly can “nip in the bud” if you catch them early. Mark’s willingness to finally get screened — and to talk openly about it — turned his private scare into a public reminder.
The stories were funny, yes. The audience laughed at the underwear mishap, the dream punch, and the anesthesia rambling. But underneath the humor was something serious: a wake-up call to anyone in their 40s and 50s who keeps saying, “I’ll schedule that checkup later.”
Mark may be making jokes on the couch, but his recent experiences send a sobering message: listen to your body, get the tests, and don’t wait until “late” to take your health seriously.