Andy Cohen Defends Best Pals Amid Intense Backlash

Heavy/Getty/NBCUniversal Andy Cohen is speaking out amid backlash.

Fans of Andy Cohen know that the Bravo mogul is good friends with Kelly Ripa and her husband, Mark Consuelos — and he’s coming to their defense.

Former “Live!” co-host Ryan Seacrest made his final appearance on the show on April 14, 2023, leaving the seat open for Ripa’s husband, who will co-host the show with her moving forward. However, many fans feel as though Consuelos and Ripa’s chemistry has been a bit off since they became full-time co-hosts together.

On the April 19, 2023, episode of his morning radio show on SiriusXM, Cohen responded to some of the backlash, taking aim at the New York Post’s coverage.

“I have a bone to pick with the New York Post. Mark and Kelly had their premiere the other day. Okay. The New York Post writes an article saying response to the show was bad, and they quote 10 or 7 or 5 negative tweets about the show. This is a national show that gets, I think, like 5 million viewers a day. It’s the number one morning show. So the Post decides to lazily report that, ‘oh, people hate it’ based on six trolley tweets,” he said.

Here’s what you need to know:

Kelly Ripa Says She’s ‘Proud’ of Her Husband

Consuelos and Ripa met in the 90s when they were doing a screen test for the soap opera “All My Children.” The two had instant chemistry and within a year, they eloped to Las Vegas. In the time since, Ripa and Consuelos have raised three kids together and they often pride themselves on having a solid marriage — which they aren’t shy about.

Although Consuelos has sat in the co-host chair on “Live!” a number of times over the past couple of decades, taking on the role full-time is certainly different, especially because it bring a completely different dynamic to the show on a daily basis.

And while some fans don’t seem too sure about Ripa and Consuelos, Ripa thinks that everything is going great.

“I had no concerns about how well he was going to do and he really proved me right. I’m so proud of him, but I was never worried,” she told Us Weekly following her husband’s full-time debut.

“The thing I love about Mark is how funny he is. The advice I gave him was to just keep being yourself, enjoy every moment and be present. He took it from there,” she added.

Mark Consuelos Is Feeling Good About His Debut

While some of the feedback hasn’t been super positive, Consuelos says he feels good about where the show is headed.

“This show today truly felt like home. I always feel at home with Kelly but [working] together this morning just felt so right,” he told Us Weekly. “Kelly and I have always [felt] the most [at] ease when we’re together and I feel so lucky we get to do that daily,” he continued.

Meanwhile, Cohen weighed in further, saying that he doesn’t even think that Ripa and Consuelos are concerning themselves with the negativity.

“By the way, haven’t spoken to either of them about any of this, and I’m sure they don’t even know it’s happening. But anyway, I’m annoyed because I read Page Six like five times a day, so I’m all activated,” he said on his radio show.

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