Kelly Ripa Fires Back at Young ‘Live’ Guest After Getting Called ‘Ma’am’: ‘I’m Only 52’ 

Kelly Ripa recently returned to Live With Kelly and Mark after a brief absence from the series — and she is not holding anything back! The veteran talk show host’s latest interaction with a guest during an episode on Friday, August 4, left some fans laughing and others in shock. 

During the Brighten Your Day segment of the show, a young dancer from San Antonio, Texas, took to the stage to perform a quick routine. 

“Are you a real dancer,” Kelly, 52, asked after the energetic dance number. The youngster replied, “Yes, ma’am.”

What seemed like a sweet interaction between the two quickly took a different turn. 

“You don’t have to call me ‘ma’am,’ I’m only 52,” Kelly fired back. 

Kelly’s response drew some giggles from the crowd. To alleviate some of the awkwardness on stage, she assured everyone that she was “just kidding” about her remark. 

Mark Consuelos chimed in, telling the dancer that she did a “great job.” The couple agreed that it’s easy to tell which guests are professional dancers by the fluidity of their movements. Another brief pause followed before Kelly and Mark, also 52, transitioned into the next segment. 

It wasn’t the only part of the episode where Kelly candidly shared her inner thoughts. During another clip, she and Mark discussed his dad jokes, which are not a big hit with their three kids, Michael, Lola and Joaquin. 

“My kids cringe at my dad jokes. Also, I always have food on my face … They’re always so weirded out by the food on my face,” Mark shared before asking Kelly, “Have you noticed that too?” 

Once again, Kelly did not hold back, quipping, “Yeah, you always have food on your face. It’s weird.”

Kelly later shared a memory from a trip to Mexico for a pal’s birthday where Mark told the ultimate dad joke.

“The beach attendant came over and he said, ‘It’s a flag system here. So, you raise this flag if you want more drinks. You raise this flag if you want food. And you raise this flag if you just want to be left alone,’” the mom of three recalled. “And Mark says, ‘Which is the flag you raise if your wife is being mean to you?’”

Kelly was previously absent from the program on July 20 and July 21. She was temporarily replaced by Maria Menounos at the news desk. Kelly also missed Live on July 27 and Anderson Cooper filled in for her during the episode. On July 28, Deja Vu served as the guest host next to Mark as Kelly was out on assignment.