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Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are officially “empty nesters” following the graduation of their youngest, Joaquin.
The very proud parents took to Instagram to celebrate the special occasion, posting several pictures commemorating everything that happened as Joaquin graduated high school this week.
The couple posed for a sweet selfie with their 18-year-old, who was dressed in a bright blue gown with yellow cords and a yellow rose boutonniere. The Live With Kelly And Ryan simply captioned the post, “The Graduate! #2021.”
Over on her Instagram Story, she shared even more memories from the unforgettable day, posting a behind-the-scenes image of the mother-son duo getting ready. Ripa wore a silk teal bath robe at home as he was all ready to go in his grad uniform, which she jokingly captioned, “In our robes.”
After snapping some photos at home, the family headed to his graduation event at the private Churchill School and Center in New York. Following the ceremony, the talk show host revealed that Joaquin got to meet the celebrity speaker for the ceremony: Gayle King!
“Joaquin casually chatting with commencement speaker @gayleking,” Kelly said, going on to share a snap of her son smiling with the CBS This Morning co-host.
Just last month, Joaquin soaked up his last few moments as a high school student while attending prom with his date, Melissa. At the time, Kelly revealed on her show that he “borrowed his dad‘s tux and shoes” for the occasion and joked that her husband ”tied that tie with military precision” while helping their son get ready.
Ripa went on to say Joaquin was thrilled to finally pose with his date on prom night, ready for his parents to get out of the picture.
“You could see the difference in Joaquin’s demeanor overall improved greatly, once Mark got out of the picture and Melissa got in the picture,” she joked.
This next year will be a big change for Joaquin and his parents, as the new graduated announced in March that he will be attending the University of Michigan, where he will be part of the wrestling program.
According to Ripa, the idea of their youngest going to college is especially emotional, since the two of them never thought it was possible.
“He’s got lots of options,” she said on Live with Kelly and Ryan. “Mark got very emotional and very choked up, because he said, ‘You know, I never thought he would be able to go to college.’ Because he was profoundly dyslexic and dysgraphic.”