Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos recently shared a humorous parenting anecdote during an episode of Live with Kelly and Mark,
diving into their experience with their son’s uncanny ability to win goldfish at carnivals.
While discussing a recently discovered “megalodon goldfish” in a Pennsylvania waterway, the couple reminisced about their own family’s history with the tiny aquatic pets.
According to Ripa, their youngest son, Joaquin, had an extraordinary talent for winning goldfish at fairs.
“Our son, who shall remain nameless—Joaquin—had a thing that every time he went to the fair, the first thing he would do is win a goldfish. It never failed,” she shared.
Despite the infamous difficulty of carnival games, Joaquin never seemed to have trouble with the goldfish challenge.
“You know where you gotta bounce the ball into the goldfish thing?” Ripa elaborated. “He had an ability to win goldfish in a way that was—it was just like the freakiest thing. He could just bounce, and boom, goldfish.”
While most parents might expect these fair-won fish to have short lifespans, Ripa and Consuelos were consistently surprised by how long they lasted. Ripa recalled frequently carrying the fish in a plastic bag throughout the carnival, thinking, “This goldfish will never make it through the rest of this fair.” However, much to her astonishment, the goldfish defied all odds and thrived.
“Well, let me tell you about those carnival goldfish,” Ripa said, laughing. “They are made from some other stuff. We should all study what that enzyme is that keeps them alive and we should ingest that because nothing can kill a carnival goldfish.”
Consuelos chimed in, reminiscing about how they would bring the fish home and set up proper accommodations. “We’d get a bowl and get a filter,” he recalled. However, he hesitated before admitting, “But a couple times we had to, uhh—”
“Swap them out,” Ripa confessed with a knowing smile, finishing her husband’s sentence. Consuelos agreed, repeating, “Swap them out. While he was at school.”
Ripa then detailed their covert operation, revealing that whenever one of Joaquin’s goldfish didn’t survive, they would secretly replace it with a nearly identical fish. “A couple of times they passed away, and then we would replace them with similar fish,” she explained. “I don’t think he ever knew.”
As the two hosts shared a laugh over the secret pet replacements, Consuelos jokingly remarked, “He knows now.” However, the couple was quick to reassure themselves that their son was unlikely to discover their little secret. “He doesn’t watch this show,” they concluded with a chuckle.
The lighthearted exchange between Ripa and Consuelos offered a relatable and humorous look at the lengths parents sometimes go to preserve childhood innocence. Many parents have resorted to similar tactics when it comes to pets, whether it’s replacing a goldfish, keeping the truth about the family hamster’s sudden “vacation,” or staging elaborate Easter Bunny visits.
The segment also highlighted the couple’s effortless on-screen chemistry, a dynamic that has endeared them to audiences for years. Married since 1996 and parents to three children, Ripa and Consuelos frequently share personal stories on their talk show, giving viewers an intimate glimpse into their family life. Their ability to balance humor, warmth, and relatability has made Live with Kelly and Mark a beloved morning staple.
Fans of the show can catch new episodes of Live with Kelly and Mark on weekdays. As always, viewers can expect more hilarious and heartfelt moments as the couple continues to share their lives, one amusing parenting story at a time.
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