TV Goodbye: Ripa Family’s Heartfelt Final Moments
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos have bid farewell to the Upper West Side studio that served as their professional and personal anchor for decades. The couple filmed their final episode of “Live with Kelly and Mark” at the historic Lincoln Square location on April 1, closing a 37-year chapter in the show’s history as they prepare to move to Disney’s Hudson Square headquarters.
While the relocation marks a strategic business decision for Disney, the departure from the iconic space resonates deeply with the couple’s family history. “Our kids grew up here,” Consuelos told Entertainment Now. “They’d come visit mom here a lot. They were always backstage, even when they were babies.”
The studio represented much more than a workplace for Ripa, who joined the show in 2001 and has co-hosted with husband Consuelos since 2023. It provided a nurturing environment that allowed her to balance career and motherhood during a time when, as she noted, “maternity leave was not really a thing.”
Beyond Colleagues: A Television Family
The relationships formed within the studio walls extended beyond professional connections to genuine familial bonds. “My kids have full text chains with some of the people here. Like, Lola doesn’t look at some of the producers as producers; she looks at them as other moms,” Ripa shared about her 23-year-old daughter.
This sense of community helped the couple raise their three children – Michael, 27, Lola, 23, and Joaquin, 22 – while maintaining demanding television careers. “They came to work with me every day until they went to school,” Ripa told E! Online. “They would go to All My Children with me, they would come here with me… we meant when we say they grew up in this building, in these four walls.”
The studio also played cupid for the famous couple. Before their 1996 marriage, Ripa and Consuelos briefly separated during their “All My Children” days but were reunited at the same location for a mandatory work event. “Obviously, seeing her it was like, ‘This is the worst decision of my life. I have to be with her forever,'” Consuelos recalled. “And I asked her to marry me and we flew to Vegas the next day.”
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Leaving Live With Kelly and Mark Studio After 37 Years https://t.co/S8xEEcIsjd
— E! News (@enews) April 3, 2025
New Beginning at the Robert A. Iger Building
Fans concerned about the show’s future can rest assured that “Live” will continue broadcasting from its new home at 7 Hudson Square in the Robert A. Iger Building, named after Disney’s longtime CEO. According to a December 2024 Walt Disney Company press release, the facility was designed to honor “Iger’s many accomplishments for Disney and its employees as he commemorates his 50th anniversary with the company.”
The modern facility already houses several ABC productions, including “The View” and “The Tamron Hall Show,” with “Good Morning America” scheduled to join by year’s end. The centralization strategy aims to create production efficiencies while updating facilities for Disney’s New York-based television operations.
During their final broadcast from the Upper West Side location, Ripa welcomed viewers with a poignant acknowledgment: “Welcome to our final show in the building.” The episode featured special segments, including a video message from daughter Lola, highlighting the family’s deep connection to the space.
Not a Retirement Signal
Despite the significant change in location, Hello Magazine reports that both hosts have clarified they have no immediate plans to leave the show. Consuelos addressed retirement speculation in a 2024 interview: “I don’t think it’s gonna be anytime soon. I know she’s having a good time, I’m having a really, really good time.”
While Ripa has acknowledged that she “doesn’t intend to work at this job for the rest of my life,” she emphasized her current satisfaction: “I do talk about retirement with great interest, but right now I’m very happy, especially working with Mark.”
As they transition to their new studio, the couple carries nearly three decades of personal and professional memories from a space that Ripa summed up simply but powerfully: “We’re a family.” For devoted viewers who have invited them into their homes each morning, the show promises to maintain its intimate connection—just from a different Manhattan address.
