Kelly Ripa Emotionally Says She's "Not Speaking" With 2 of 3 Kids in Quarantine: "They Won't Hug Me"
Week four of coronavirus quarantine is taking its toll on Kelly Ripa. She and Ryan Seacrest have been hosting their talk show, Live with Kelly and Ryan, from their homes on opposite coasts, and during their April 8 broadcast, she found herself in tears over the pandemic-related anxiety that has shaken her family—especially her children.
She and her husband Mark Consuelos share daughter Lola, 18, and sons Michael, 22, and Joaquin, 17. “I’m not going to lie, OK? I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I’m currently not speaking to two of my three kids. I’m not talking to two of them,” she told Seacrest, lowering her voice. “Just because, we’re all in the same boat together, right?”
She choked back tears. “I haven’t gotten to hug my parents. I want to hug my parents. I miss hugging my parents,” she said. “And my kids, like, won’t hug me. And I’m like, ‘Guys, we’ve all been in lockdown together. We’re fine. You can give me a hug. It’s fine.'”
Realizing her emotion, Ripa quickly apologized and moved on to the next subject. “Anyway, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m crying. Maybe I’m just going to get my period, who knows,” she laughed. “Sorry, sorry. Sometimes we forget that we’re on. Did I shout that, or did my inner monologue come out? Sorry, didn’t mean to do that.”
It’s OK to be upset, Kelly! She clearly spent the day in her feelings, because she later posted a throwback photo of her parents and in-laws. “Cannot wait to hug these four. (Mother in law. Mom. Dad. Father in law),” she captioned the pic. “Will hug in any order or first come first serve ???????? .”
A post shared by Kelly Ripa (@kellyripa) on Apr 8, 2020 at 4:01pm PDT
Earlier in the show, Ripa explained her empathy for her dad, whose knee surgery was delayed so he could attend her son’s college graduation. Now, of course, both have been postponed indefinitely. “He was so looking forward to, you know, watching his grandson graduate from college,” she said. “It was such a big talking point in our house. Again, these are small problems considering that so many people are losing their loved ones and [are] very, very sick. But … it is what it is, you know what I mean?”
Seacrest admitted to also experiencing anxiety while cooped up at home, and shared an… interesting coping mechanism that he recently discovered works for him. “I went into a Google hole of olive trees,” he said. “So if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed. Don’t laugh at this, just try it. Go to Google, go to olive trees, hit images. Just sift through the catalogues of trunks and silver leaves. I think it might calm you down a little bit. It did for me.”
Ripa, on the other hand, chooses to pass the time in a vastly different web chasm: Dr. Pimple Popper videos. “It’s not relaxing,” she said. “But if you want to pass three hours and you’re just waiting for your kids to get off the internet … it’s just fascinating what’s lurking within all of us, right beneath the surface.”
Whatever works, right? Desperate times call for desperate measures.
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