Mark Consuelos Jokes About Competing with Jimmy Fallon For PEOPLE’s Sexiest Daytime Talk Show Host

Mar. 15, 2025

Mark Consuelos and Jimmy Fallon.Photo:Valerie Terranova/WireImage, Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

Valerie Terranova/WireImage, Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

Mark Consuelosisn’t letting go of his coveted title!

On the Sept. 23 episode ofLive with Kelly and Mark, the former PEOPLE’s Sexiest Talk Show Host winner, 53, joked about this year’s “stiff” competition andJimmy Fallon’s recent campaignto take the title.

“Speaking of the Sexiest Man Alive, there’s a lot going on in television – in the broadcast landscape,” his wife and co-hostKelly Ripasaid to introduce the topic. “Now, I don’t know if you saw this plea that Jimmy Fallon put out.”

Consuelos replied, “I did. Yeah, let’s talk about it.”

Ripa went on to explain that PEOPLE Magazine has an annualSexiest Man Alive issue, which she claimed “is really robbing us because there’s ton of sexy dead people and they just are immediately off the table because of the whole alive moniker. But whatever, I digress.”

“So last year,you were voted the Sexiest Daytime Talk Show Host alive,” she noted to her husband. Ripa recalled that Consuelos had been in a category with “three others,” but she does not “recall who they were because they were not as sexy.” (For the record, it wasCBS This Morning’s Nate Burleson,Today’s Craig Melvin andGood Morning America’s George Stephanopoulous.)

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos co-host “Live with Kelly and Mark”.DISNEY/Lorenzo Bevilaqua

DISNEY/Lorenzo Bevilaqua

“See they’ve got the box around you because you’re already the reigning champion. But Jimmy Fallon, apparently, has put out a plea,” she added, in reference to Fallon’s remarks during the Sept. 18 episode ofThe Tonight Showwhere he asked his fellow nominees to drop out of the race.

“Yeah, he asked if I should step aside,” theRiverdalealum explained. “And I love Jimmy, I really do love Jimmy. He’s such a great guy. And over the weekend, I was considering it. I’m like, ‘You know what, maybe I should pledge my support.’ "

However, Consuelos walked his statement back, adding, “And I was like, ‘You know, maybe I should come on the show on Monday and say, If you’re going to vote for me, you might as well vote for Jimmy. But then I reconsidered.”

He continued to say he has “some stiff competition” in the category this year, which sees him going againstMario LopezforAccess Hollywood,Seth MeyersforLate Nightand Fallon.

“I love all these guys,” he noted.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Ripa revealed her own vote, calling Consuelos the “sexiest” of the four. “I have to say, from a sexiest standpoint, and believe me, I love me some Seth Meyers, I love me some Jimmy Fallon, I love me some Mario Lopez. But from a sexiest standpoint, you are the sexiest,” she told her husband.

Consuelos replied, “You’re not exactly… you’re not partial.”

“Anyway, If I don’t win, I would love for Jimmy to win,” Conseulos added.

Ripa clarified: “You would love for Jimmy to come in second.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Earlier this month, Fallon begged for Consuelos to drop out of the race in an episode of his talk show.

He sized up his competition, first saying, “Seth would let me have this… He would want me to have this. He’s a younger dude — let grandpa have one thing,” he joked.

“He’s been a guest on the show,” he said of Lopez. “Just let me have it.”

The Sexiest Man Alive Readers’ Choice Poll closed Sept. 27. Stay tuned for the results!

source: people.com