Entertainment TV Mark Consuelos Calls Kelly Ripa 'My Little Penguin' While Co-Hosting 'Live' : 'We're Married for Life' The stars have been married since 1996 By Dory Jackson Dory Jackson Dory Jackson is an Associate Editor for PEOPLE's digital TV team. While at the brand, she's had the opportunity to interview a long list of celebrities, from Kate Hudson to Pierce Brosnan to Billy Porter. She has also helped recap popular TV shows like 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,' 'Sister Wives' and 'Vanderpump Rules.' The New York-based Maryland native graduated from Randolph-Macon College in May 2016 with a focus on Communication Studies and Journalism. She came to PEOPLE in March 2021 after working at a number of major news companies, including Newsweek and Us Weekly. People Editorial Guidelines Published on September 29, 2021 04:05PM EDT Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are as in love as ever. While guest co-hosting Live with Kelly and Ryan on Wednesday, Consuelos asked Ripa if she has enjoyed working with him amid Ryan Seacrest's absence this week. Ripa, 50, joked that it had been "touch and go" but said she had "a feeling today is going to be great." "It reminds me of when we used to work together [on All My Children]," she continued. "We worked together on a soap where we would work 10, 11, 12 hours together," said Consuelos, 50. "And then we decided to move out of the city where we had a two-minute commute, and we had to commute in together, because all our scenes were predominantly together. Let's call it 12 hours on set, and then another hour back." Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' Relationship Timeline Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. Jim Spellman/WireImage Ripa credited Madonna and JAY-Z for getting them through the commute, joking, "If it wasn't for those two albums, we wouldn't be married." "But all kidding aside, you're my little penguin," said Consuelos. "I don't care if there's 18-hour days and commutes, we're married for life. We're mates for life." Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Solve 'Just About Almost Every' Problem with 'Love and Sexy Time' Ripa and Consuelos have been married since 1996. They share sons Michael, 24, and Joaquin, 18, and daughter Lola, 20. Earlier this year, the couple opened up about their "almost old-fashioned" roles in their marriage. "What's funny is I think of us as such a progressive couple. I always think of us as politically progressive … we're progressive people," Ripa said on the Double Date podcast in April. "And yet, when it comes to our own family and our marriage and our roles, I think of us as very traditional and almost old-fashioned in our roles." Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Address Speculation That He Wears Eyeliner — 'It Doesn't Come Off' After Consuelos credited Ripa for making "the home a home," Ripa said her husband in turn made "sacrifices" to travel for work that resulted in him missing "milestones for the kids." "In that way, we're very traditional," she said. "He made those sacrifices, but I think he wouldn't know how to find a ballet class. He wouldn't know how to go about signing the kids up for religion classes."