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Kelly Ripa is opening up about an uncomfortable airline encounter that has quickly captured fans’ attention. The Live With Kelly and Mark co-host recently recalled a run-in with a rude passenger, sparking fresh conversation about travel etiquette and the challenges celebrities face in everyday situations. Here’s what she detailed in a recent conversation with Mark Consuelos that has everyone wondering what they would do in such a situation.

Kelly Ripa discussed an ‘aggressive’ move from a fellow airline passenger while on ‘Live With Kelly and Mark’

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos have gotten real about air travel during their Live With Kelly and Mark segments. In December 2025, Consuelos complained about never getting the proper overhead bin space by the time he boards — an issue he finds “very annoying.”

“There’s one airline that goes, and then the executive blah blah blah blah, and then the gold executive blah blah blah blah, and then the pink executive blah blah blah blah, and then the whatever color executive blah blah blah blah,” Consuelos complained. “By the time you get on the plane, all the stuff’s gone — all the overhead.”

Then, Ripa chimed in with her own personal experience of onboard aggression.

Ripa noted that “not too long ago,” she had plenty of overhead bin space above where she and Consuelos were sitting. She then put her carry-on backpack above her in the bin space rather than below the seat in front of her.

“I put my backpack in the overhead, and the man that was sitting in front of me came on board … and he put his suitcase on top of my backpack, which I felt was aggressive,” Ripa explained, according to Entertainment Weekly. “So, I got up, and I moved his bag off of my backpack. I was like, ‘Ha!’ Then, I sat back down. And then I sent you a text. I was like, ‘Did you see that man put his bag on top of my bag?’ I thought it was a weird flex.”

Mark Consuelos previously ‘shamed’ a man for putting his ‘man purse’ in an overhead bin

This is far from the first time that Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos discussed airport etiquette on Live With Kelly and Mark. In October 2024, Entertainment Weekly reported that Consuelos and Ripa recounted an incident where Consuelos “shamed” another man for taking up overhead bin space with his “man purse.”

“We got on the flight, and I don’t know what was going on, there was hardly anybody on the plane, hardly any people on this plane,” Ripa said. Consuelos then noted that suddenly, “like, 20 people got on this plane” ahead of them.

Ripa noted that suddenly, there was no overhead bin space left. It felt as if “people were bringing on extra bags and putting them everywhere.” To accommodate her bag, Consuelos “took out a man’s man purse.” Ripa recalled how Consuelos removed the small bag and put it between his legs before placing her suitcase in the unoccupied spot. He then asked the crowded plane, “Is this somebody’s bag?”

“I didn’t even ask him,” Consuelos admitted. “I shamed him into doing that, like, put it under the seat.”

Ripa called the move “very alpha.”

The on-air couple discussed having an ‘airport divorce’ in the past

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Kelly Ripa Says There Were ‘so Many No’s’ Before Husband Mark Consuelos Was Cast as New ‘Live’ Co-Host

British travel journalist Huw Oliver came up with the idea of the “airport divorce,” and it stuck with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. Oliver noted that he and his fiancée go their separate ways following security to participate in their desired airport activities. They then reconvene on the plane.

Ripa and Consuelos discussed this idea on Live With Kelly and Mark. Ripa noted that she and her husband have “different traveling philosophies” and “traveling styles.” However, Consuelos fought back.

“What do you mean? Like, I walk fast in the airport?” he asked, according to People.

“You need to get there 4 to 16 hours before a flight takes off,” Ripa responded. Consuelos noted this wasn’t true, claiming he hopes to get where he needs to be just 90 minutes ahead of time.

Ripa then reminded Consuelos of a time when his TSA PreCheck lapsed, resulting in both of them heading through the regular security line. Consuelos allegedly grew “irritated” with his wife because of the long lines.

“The airport divorce is what we are definitely getting,” she continued.

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