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After nearly four decades of morning laughs, celebrity interviews, and iconic moments, Live with Kelly and Mark has officially said goodbye to its longtime home at 7 Lincoln Square. The studio at 67th St. and Columbus Ave. has been the show's heart since its Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford days, but now, it's time for a fresh start.
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, the current co-hosting (and real-life) power couple, filmed their final episode in the space, which aired on April 1. While the show is simply relocating to a new state-of-the-art studio downtown, leaving the Upper West Side behind has been an emotional ride. "This place means so much to us," Consuelos told PEOPLE. Our kids grew up here."
A Studio Filled with Family Memories
Kelly Ripa, who has been with Live since 2001, knows the studio isn't just a workplace—it's been part of her family's daily life. She and Consuelos share three kids—Michael, 27, Lola, 23, and Joaquin, 22—who spent much of their childhood backstage.
"They came to work with me every day until they went to school," Ripa reminisced. "They would go to All My Children with me, they would come here with me… when we say they grew up in this building, we mean it."
Back when maternity leave wasn't a guaranteed luxury, Ripa had no choice but to juggle work and motherhood right there in the studio.
"The good news is you could bring your kids to work with you," she said. "I was able to be a full-time working woman and a full-time mother simultaneously, which is a very rare thing and not something I take for granted at all."
And it wasn't just about bringing her kids along; Live became their extended family. "Some of our closest friends are people who work here," Consuelos shared. We're a family at Live, and growing up, those were some of the people our kids were closest to."
Ripa chimed in with a laugh, "Yeah, my kids have full text chains with some of the people here! Lola doesn't even see some of our producers as producers—she sees them as other moms."
The Place That Rekindled Their Love
Beyond the memories with their kids, the studio holds a deeply personal milestone for the couple: it's the place that helped bring them back together.
Flashback to 1996, Ripa and Consuelos were dating but had recently broken up. Then, fate (or, more accurately, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee) stepped in. The show had booked them as surprise guests for an All My Children fan, and despite both trying to back out, they ended up standing side by side on that very stage.
Seeing Ripa that day was a wake-up call for Consuelos. "This is the worst decision of my life," he recalled thinking. "I have to be with her forever."
That moment of clarity led to a spontaneous proposal, and the couple jetted off to Vegas the next day to get married. "So we owe a lot to this place," Ripa reflected. "And it's going to be hard to replicate."
A New Chapter at Hudson Square
While emotions are high, Live with Kelly and Mark is moving forward—literally—to 7 Hudson Square, the Walt Disney Company's sleek new headquarters in downtown NYC. The show will join The View and The Tamron Hall Show at the Robert A. Iger Building, with Good Morning America expected to follow by the end of the year.
It's a fresh start, but the memories made at 7 Lincoln Square will always be part of the show's DNA.