Why Kelly Ripa has been absent from ‘Live with Kelly & Mark’

Even morning show hosts need to hit the snooze button once in a while.

Kelly Ripa has been absent from “Live with Kelly & Mark” this week for a much-needed summer vacation.

Since the daytime icon’s time off, which started on Aug. 4, several celebs have guest starred alongside her husband and co-anchor, Mark Consuelos.

On Monday, “Nobody Wants This” star Jackie Tohn filled in her spot followed by Jenna Dewan on Tuesday and Rita Ora on Wednesday.

The former soap star also had a mysterious absence from the ABC show in July 2023 when Anderson Cooper replaced her for three episodes.

Her brief leave was never addressed on the show but a source close to Ripa told Page Six at the time that she had a “scheduled day off” which is “totally normal during the summer.”

Consuelos, 54, took his own vacation last week leaving his wife with a roster of co-hosts as well, including David Muir, Jerry O’Connell, Carson Kressley and Steve Patterson.

Ripa, also 54, is no stranger to switching co-hosts on “Live.” The mom of three has been hosting the show since 2001, and has watched her male counterparts come and go over the years.

She co-hosted the morning show with the late Regis Philbin for ten years before his 2011 exit and then with Michael Strahan from 2012 to 2016.

The former NFL star famously blindsided Ripa when he left their show for “Good Morning America.” She found out about Strahan’s exit minutes before the rest of the world.

“They could not stand each other, and whenever they communicated off-camera, it was always through their reps,” an insider told Page Six at the time.

Despite Strahan, 53, alluding to the fact that he felt like Ripa’s “sidekick” throughout filming with her, he later admitted that his departure “could have been handled better.”

Ryan Seacrest joined “Live” as the “All My Children” alum’s co-host from 2017 to 2023 until her husband ultimately replaced him.

The couple, who have been married since 1996, are known to get very candid about their marriage on the talk show and have included their three children in various episodes and segments.

The “Riverdale” alum had appeared as a guest host alongside his wife more than 100 times before getting the permanent spot.

Although she had worked with her husband before, Ripa admitted that she was hesitant before his full-time role began and the couple have set boundaries since.

“We don’t see each other again until dinner,” Ripa shared Thursday on Kylie Kelce’s “Not Gonna Lie” podcast. “We need some separation. We need some mystery between us.”

“We have arguments on the air… the audience becomes our counselors,” she quipped. “Spoiler alert: I’m usually right.”