Kelly Ripa Applauds College Courses That Teach Gen Z “How To Make Small Talk” On ‘Live’: “God Knows They Need The Help!”

By Alex Vena
Published Nov. 22, 2023, 11:12 a.m. ET

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Kelly Ripa

Kelly Ripa shared what she deemed to be “good news for all of us” on this morning’s episode of Live with Kelly and Mark.

“College courses are now teaching young adults how to make small talk,” she said. “God knows they need the help!”

Mark Consuelos noted that he thinks the COVID-19 pandemic and “being isolated for such a long time” created this problem. However, Ripa wasn’t so sure.

“Because nobody spoke before COVID ever?” she asked. “They forgot in the amount of time?”

Consuelos agreed with the latter, revealing that even he, who said he enjoys social settings, finds himself noticing this phenomenon.

“Now, I can always sense when the conversation’s about to end in about 17 seconds,” he continued. “And I’m stuck with somebody and I’m like, how am I going to keep this going, or how am I going to get out of here?”

Ripa blamed the lack of modern-day social skills on phones.

“I don’t think COVID has anything to do with it,” she reiterated. “I believe it is the phones.”

She recalled “many dinners” that she and Consuelos have attended where “they are looking at people” whose eyes are glued to their cellphones, which Consuelos called their “coping mechanism.”

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on 'Live with Kelly and Mark'
Photo: ABC

Ripa added, “And I think to myself, ‘Are you ok?’ We’re having a fabulous discussion right now about intriguing stuff!”

This prompted Consuelos to ask if they would be enforcing a “no-phone policy” at their upcoming Thanksgiving dinner, to which Ripa replied that she’s “taking out the basket.”

“I didn’t want to be forced to do it,” she admitted. “I’ve got a phone basket.”

Consuelos then remembered being asked to do a public service announcement urging families to “put [their] phones away in the basket.” While Ripa claimed it was “the greatest thing [he] ever did,” Consuelos pointed out some irony in his promotion of the PSA.

“But then I put it on Instagram,” he shared. “So it just seemed ridiculous.”

Ripa still believed it served as a good “reminder.”

“Like ok, now that you’re on Instagram, don’t forget to log out and put your phone in the basket,” she said.

Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. Check out their website for your local listings.