A new era in daytime TV began on Monday morning. After taking over for former cohost Ryan Seacrest, Mark Consuelos stepped up to the plate on his first episode of Live with Kelly & Mark, joining wife Kelly Ripa for coffee and conversation each morning on camera permanently — but not without referencing the soap opera where it all began.
More from CafeMom: This Photo Might Prove Woody Harrelson & Matthew McConaughey Are Actually Brothers
Mark was up and at 'em for his new gig.
Before he and Kelly took the stage on Monday morning, the official Live With Kelly & Mark Instagram account shared a photo of the new addition to the show all ready to go for his first day at work.
Judging by how much chemistry Mark and Kelly have always had, fans have been looking forward to this since it was announced earlier this year, and now that the first episode is here, it seems they were right to be excited.
They kicked off the show with a reference to 'All My Children.'
Kelly and Mark's love story begins with All My Children, where they played love interests … and eventually, life ended up imitating art.
Mark even called out their characters' names at the start of the show. "Thank you America, thank you — Hayley and Mateo forever," he said.
One of their guests even referenced the soap opera.
TLC singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas appeared as a guest in the episode and admitted that she almost named her son Mateo after Mark's character — and apparently, she wouldn't have been alone in that.
"I've met so many Mateos, they're all in their mid-20s now," Mark said.
More from CafeMom: Unsealed Court Documents Reveal Shocking Details About Jon & Kate Gosselin's Custody War
Overall, it seems like it was a successful first show for the couple.
Even their daughter, Lola, was in the audience, cheering for her mom and dad. This was such an exciting day for their family.
Though Mark has guest hosted the show plenty of times in the past, he admitted that this time felt "very permanent" to him. With any luck, it will be!
We can't wait to see what the future for these cohosts holds.
Their fun relationship as husband and wife has totally translated to the small screen, and it looks like we have a lot to look forward to now that they're at the helm of the show together.
We will miss Ryan, but Mark definitely seems like a worthy substitute.
