The Ripa-Consuelos household is dealing with a swell of emotions this month, from major career milestones to family tragedies.
Prior to spring break, Mark Consuelos’ father, Saul Consuelos, passed away, which he and his wife and co-anchor Kelly Ripa shared with the world upon their return to LIVE with Kelly and Mark.
Soon after, their youngest son, Joaquin Consuelos, officially made his Broadway debut with the new revival of Arthur Miller’s classic play Death of a Salesman, starring Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf.
The production officially opened on April 9, with Joaquin, 23, playing “Young Biff,” and his parents attending opening night to cheer him on.
Highlights – and a sweet tribute
The recent University of Michigan graduate later took to his Instagram page with some highlights from the night, including photos with his castmates, his dad Mark, and one of him signing playbills at the stage door, ending on a tender note.
Joaquin included a throwback image of himself and his late grandfather, each wearing a pair of underwear on their head, underscoring their close relationship prior to his death. “Opening night was a movie,” Joaquin simply captioned the photos.
His family members quickly took to the comments section to cheer him on, with his sister Lola commenting: “I canteth waiteth too seeeth,” and his older brother Michael adding: “Too friggin cool!!” Kelly then wrote: “What a night! What an incredible production! So proud,” with his aunt Adriana Consuelos saying: “So very proud of you! Last photo is my fav.”
© InstagramThe life of Saul Consuelos
On Sunday, April 19, Mark then takes to the stage for his own big night. The opening night for his own play, a revival of Fallen Angels starring Rose Byrne and Kelli O’Hara, will officially take place less than two weeks after his son’s.
When he and Kelly opened up about his father’s death on LIVE on April 6, he’d noted that doing his play served as a “welcome distraction” and something that allowed him to focus his energy elsewhere instead of just grieving.
“I knew I had to keep on going, especially during that time,” he told the studio audience. “It’s been great. I had such a good time doing it. I know he’s there watching and he’s able to be part of that.”
Kelly showed her support for him as well by remarking: “You’re the strongest person I know, you continually inspire me every day. And all of the good things that I love about you, I loved those same things about your dad.”
© Getty ImagesOn the show, the Riverdale alum recalled some of the “lectures” he’d get from his dad, including anecdotes like: “I used to make a joke about my dad, if you asked him what time it was, he’d tell you how to build a watch.”
Dubbing him a “prime example” of an immigrant in the United States and “what this country promises people,” he opened up about Saul’s move to the country from Mexico in his teens. “He served his country for 30 years. Ended up in special ops command in Tampa. This young kid from Mexico just got his education through the Navy, was always going to school,” he continued. “And he loved this country so much.”
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