Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos did not beat around the BO while acknowledging a particular hygienic struggle teens face on this morning’s Live with Kelly and Mark.
After asking the studio audience if there were any teenagers present, Ripa quipped, “Well, you stink!”
“Teenagers really do have body odor issues,” she read aloud from her cue cards. “Unique compounds that smell of sweat and urine and musk, and oddly, sandalwood.”
“I think that teens sometimes, especially if you pick up a group of teens from sports practice, there is that unique smell of onions and vomit that I can’t quite understand,” Ripa continued, noting that “it lives in your nose” and can remain there for “decades.”
Consuelos chimed in, “Well, why is that? Is that just because they’re going through a lot of…”
Ripa replied, “Yes, it’s body composition, hormones. ‘Chemical composition of body odor samples from 18 infants between zero and three, OK, smelled delicious.’”
Consuelos added, “Like soap.”
However, Ripa continued, sharing that “the same teenagers between 14 and 18 smelled like vomit and regret.” She read that “a lot of it has to do with hormones, higher levels of certain acids in their body,” leading her to list off a slew of disgusting descriptors.
“Some of the acids are described as cheesy, fruity, dried plum, musty coriander, fatty, goat-like, wax-like, grassy, green bell pepper,” she said.
After Consuelos teased, “Cool,” Ripa started to ease their way out of the smelly segment.
“Anyway, so —” she began.
Consuelos interjected, “Congratulations, teens. It only lasts for a little bit. Just seven years.”
Ripa also assured their teenage viewers that “it passes,” ultimately telling them, “It’s not your fault. Don’t worry about it.”
After Consuelos joked that “it’s [their] parents’ fault,” Ripa noted that “they’ve got all sorts of all-over body deodorants now, that they didn’t have when [they] were kids.”
Consuelos then asked, “What’s that one?,” pretending to spray it on himself. While Ripa guessed “Lume,” someone off-camera correctly guessed “Axe.”
“That’s probably the sandalwood,” Live EP Michael Gelman said from off-camera, which Ripa agreed with.
“Yes, I remember when my boys were so into Axe,” she recalled. “Oh, they Axed it up. And I was like, ‘Now it smells like feet and Axe!’ Everything in our house smelled oddly of feet and Axe.”
Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. Check out their website for your local listings.
