Kelly Ripa's Return Date to 'Live' Revealed — After 'Painful' Surgery Forced Co-host to Miss Show
Kelly Ripa will return to live shows in September.
Aug. 5 2026, Published 2:36 p.m. ET
Kelly Ripa will officially return to her hit morning show very soon – but it won't be live, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The talk show host, 55, missed two weeks of work after undergoing a "painful" surgery that left her unable to speak and forced her to eat only soft foods.
Kelly Ripa's Return to 'Live' Revealed
Kelly Ripa has been missing from 'Live With Kelly and Mark' since late July.
As Ripa recovered, her husband, Mark Consuelos, was joined on the show by a variety of celebrity guest hosts, including Jonas Brothers alum Kevin Jonas, Scrubs star Sarah Chalke, Scandal's Scott Foley, and Family Guy actress Mila Kunis.
While Live With Kelly is officially going on summer break, fans will still be able to catch Ripa in fresh pre-recorded content that will air from August 10 through early September.
The mom-of-three – who shares kids Michael, Lola and Joaquin with Consuelos – will then return for her first live episode since her surgery on September 8, just after Labor Day weekend.
Kelly Ripa Underwent Surgery
Kelly Ripa underwent a 'painful' gum graft surgery under the advice of her dentist.
Ripa's break from the show began late last month when she underwent gum graft surgery.
“Her dentist said five years ago, ‘You can do it in about five years,’" Consuelos, 55, shared during a July 27 taping of Live With Kelly and Mark. "And she joked, ‘I didn’t think I’d still be on the air in five years.'"
While the Riverdale star revealed his wife was doing great, she wasn't able to speak or eat normally in the days that followed the procedure.
"There’s a list of things that you’re not allowed to do – talking, she has to eat soft food, you can’t suck out of a straw," he explained. "You can’t examine it, which means pulling down the lip."
'This One Hurts'
Kelly Ripa was initially unable to speak after surgery.
Consuelos also confirmed that while his wife is usually tough when it comes to discomfort, this has been a "painful" experience for her.
"She famously doesn’t feel pain. When she goes into the dentist, she doesn’t really use the Novocain," he continued. "But this one hurts, so I know it’s bad."
Mark Consuelos Admits to 'Cringey' Wedding Day Tattoo
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Mark Consuelos admitted to getting a 'cringey' tattoo when he married Kelly Ripa.
Ripa has had to take a break from the show to rest and recover at home, but that hasn't stopped Consuelos from sharing stories about their marriage with fans in her absence.
As Radar previously reported, the All My Children actor told guest host Jenna Dewan that he immediately got a tattoo after eloping with Ripa in Las Vegas in 1996. The only problem was that his new ink was so "embarrassing," he eventually had to have it covered up.
"I don’t know whose idea that was, but we went straight to get tattoos, and it was a horrible idea," he joked on an August episode of Live. "I’ve since had it covered up with something different here, but I got the tragedy/comedy actors (masks) ... Awful. The smiley face and the angry face. I’m like, oh, my god. It’s so cringey just to think of it."
