Mario Lopez could be Kelly Ripa’s new TV husband.
The “Extra” host hinted that he might take Michael Strahan’s seat on “Live! With Kelly and Michael” when he refused to deny rumors on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” Friday.
“That’s very flattering. Very flattering,” Lopez gushed when DeGeneres addressed speculation about him joining the chatfest following Strahan’s early departure on May 13.
“I know, people were saying that. I love Kelly. I’ve guest hosted with her a few times. She’s awesome. I actually did a movie with her husband, Mark [Consuelos], who’s a real good guy,” he continued, adding that he’s looking forward to returning as a future guest host.
But DeGeneres continued to press the 42-year-old “Saved by the Bell” actor.
“And then maybe you’ll be the replacement?” she asked.
“I’m not starting rumors. You’re not shutting it down. You’re not saying absolutely not,” she asserted.
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But Lopez deflected her comments again by saying he had to check with his wife, Courtney, first.
“I got to go over everything with Mrs. Lopez. She’s the real boss of the house so we’ll see what she has to say about that.”
Meanwhile, Ripa hinted that she could have her sights set on Anderson Cooper when she returned to work Monday clutching the book he wrote with his mother, “The Rainbow Comes and Goes.”
It’s unclear if the 48-year-old news anchor would be on-board for the new gig. He told Andy Cohen that he’s “very happy at CNN” on Thursday.
“It would be a dream to work with Kelly, but nobody’s offering anything so …” he explained.
Strahan will appear full-time on “Good Morning America” in September.