Kelly Ripa reveals disagreement at family home and the panic-filled moment behind her latest online photo

Kelly Ripa was getting into the festive spirit over the weekend, but it didn’t go as smoothly as it appeared on social media! 

The Live Wire author opened up about a near-disaster at home after her much-awaited Christmas tree arrived at the front door. 

On Monday’s episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, the star explained to the studio audience that it was so big when it branched out, that they had to quickly replace it for a smaller model. 

She said: “We had two trees this year. One arrived and it was too big to fit into our house. The Christmas tree is a big deal to me, it’s what I look forward to. It pre-arrived and they cut it open, and it was like a scene from Family Vacation. The entire tree was like a blooming onion. I was like – no. There was no way to trim it down. It was three-feet taller than our room and the width of the room, so the entire room became the tree.” 

She continued: “So we got what I like to call tree-zempic – she’s skinny – don’t skinny shame her, she’s sensitive about it, she’s been exercising every day. She’s beautiful. Here she is in all her glory. 

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“Hanging ornaments on this tree, even the lightest ornaments… the branches are flaccid.” 

Mark added: “I think it’s great, it’s a proper width. We can sit in the room.” What’s more, the couple ended up disagreeing over another aspect of the festive decor, which resulted in the ultimate compromise. 

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“I got this big snowman and Mark did not want the snowman at all. So I asked the construction men [outside their apartment building] if I could put it outside. And they said ‘Whatever floats your boat’. And I was like ‘How do I get Mark to say that to me?'” 

Kelly went on to show the studio audience a picture of the inflatable snowman perched on top of the construction work outside their Manhattan townhouse. “So here is the construction site. Isn’t it festive,” she said. 

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Kelly shared a photo of their new tree on social media on Sunday, which has been decorated beautifully with ornaments and lights. 

She wrote alongside the photo: “Behold the lady even the trees are skinny this year #treezempic?” Her famous friends, including David Muir, were quick to comment. 

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The ABC News journalist wrote: “There she is,” while GMA’s Lara Spencer wrote: “The lights are perfection.” Kelly and Mark’s daughter Lola also commented, writing: “Slayy.” 

Kelly and Mark are looking forward to Christmas Day, as another chance to spend quality time with their three grown-up children. The couple are doting parents to Michael, 27, Lola, 23, and Joaquin, 21, who are all living away from home. 

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Michael lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and is working as an actor. Lola is an aspiring singer splitting her time between London and NYC, while Joaquin is a student at the University of Michigan.