Consuelos shared the news during Friday’s broadcast of Live with Kelly and Mark, shortly before the operation. He told co-host and wife Kelly Ripa that he had delayed the surgery for roughly a year and described the toe as painful and affected by arthritis.
The actor said he felt light-headed before the procedure because he had not eaten since the previous day. Ripa joked that she planned to film him as he woke from the anaesthetic, recalling that she had video from one of his earlier foot surgeries. Their exchange kept the announcement in the playful tone of the daytime show, even as Consuelos made clear that the operation was needed because of pain.
The couple also joked about what recovery might involve. Consuelos read from a list of ways to support someone after surgery, including taking on some responsibilities and being present during recovery. He said Ripa would need to walk their dog, Lena, over the weekend, when he usually handles that task.
Consuelos initially joked that the procedure would help him play golf, then clarified that the reason was arthritis. Ripa said she intended to keep herself occupied while he recovered with reading, television, journaling and crafts, and offered to teach him to knit.
The hosts have traded caregiving roles before. Ripa was away from the programme in July after gum-graft surgery, a procedure Consuelos said her dentist had recommended years earlier. On Friday, the couple turned the same kind of recovery conversation toward his upcoming operation.