Mark Consuelos is bravely navigating a deep, devastating family loss. On Tuesday, he finally put it into words. The “Live With Kelly and Mark” cohost, 55, opened up about the passing of his father, Saul Consuelos, in an exclusive clip, obtained and published by People from the Tuesday, May 12, episode of iHeartRadio’s “I’ve Never Said This Before” With Tommy DiDario podcast.
The conversation, recorded May 1, marked the first time Consuelos had spoken publicly about his father since announcing his passing.
Saul died Sunday, March 23, after a five-month illness. He was the kind of man his son says made him who he is.
‘He’s the Best Man I’ve Ever Met’: Mark Consuelos on His Father’s Legacy
Even with time to prepare, nothing fully softened the blow. Consuelos said he had prayed for “a merciful exit” for his father and was grateful that “it happened that way — very quickly and painlessly.” But when the moment came, the weight of it landed differently than he expected.
“My father’s a mythical character to me,” he said, as reported by People. “He’s, like, the best man I’ve ever met. Everything good that I’ve kind of glommed onto of how I carry myself comes from him.”
Then came the admission that stopped the conversation cold. “I guess what I haven’t said is, I miss my dad,” Consuelos continued.
“I’ve never said that. I’ve never said, ‘I miss my dad.’ Because he’s always been in my life. He’s always been available to me.”
Mark Consuelos on Grief, Broadway, and Honoring His Father Onstage
When Saul died, Consuelos was in the middle of tech rehearsals for the Roundabout Theatre Company’s Broadway revival of Fallen Angels. He had no choice but to keep going.
“It was a welcomed distraction because I had to do this,” he said of the production.
The grief became more real at a family memorial held on Monday before the podcast recording. “We just had a memorial for him this past Monday, where the family all got together,” Consuelos said.
“And the reality of him being gone hit, of him actually being gone.”
He paused before describing what he misses most.
“I am starting to…,” he said, taking a breath. “I’m going to miss just giving him a hug and holding his hand and just laughing with him. That’s something I’ve never said in my life. I’m going to miss my dad.”
DiDario thanked him for the moment, telling Consuelos his words would mean something to “anyone going through their grief right now.”
“He’s certainly proud of you,” DiDario told him. “Look at everything you’re doing. Broadway star!”
Consuelos revealed he thinks of his father every night before stepping onstage.
“I do look up in the house every now and again,” he said.
“You can’t really see, because of the lights. And I kind of picture [him]. I think about him before I go on stage.”
‘He Would Be the Prime Example of What This Country Promises People’
GettyConsuelos had first announced his father’s passing on the Tuesday, April 22, episode of Live With Kelly and Mark. “My father passed away peacefully surrounded by family and love,” he said at the time. “He lived a beautiful life.”
He went on to paint a portrait of a man who embodied hard work, sacrifice and quiet determination.
“He came here from Mexico in his early teens, he immigrated here from Mexico. He served his country for 30 years. Ended up at Special Operations Command in Tampa. This young kid from Mexico just got his education from the Navy. Was always going to school. Was brilliant. Got his master’s while I was a kid,” Consuelos said.
“He loved his country so much,” he added. “If you’re going to put a face to an immigrant, he would be the prime example of what this country promises people.”
Kelly Ripa, who shares children Michael, 28, Lola, 24, and Joaquin, 23, with Consuelos, also honored her father-in-law during the episode, remembering him as “the kindest man.”
The exclusive clip was first published by People.
