Celebrity Parents Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Show Off Their 'Empty Nest' After Sending Son Joaquin to College After sending their youngest child Joaquin off to college, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are still getting used to having the house all to themselves By Glenn Garner Glenn Garner Instagram Twitter Glenn Garner is a Writer/Reporter who works heavily with PEOPLE's Movies and TV verticals. Since graduating from Northern Arizona University with a dual major in journalism and photography, he got his professional start at OUT Magazine, The Advocate and Teen Vogue, and he's since consistently kept his finger on the pulse of the LGBTQ community. His first book The Guncle Guide was released in 2020 and was featured on Katie Couric's list of 100 recommended books of the year. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 29, 2021 04:15 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Kelly Ripa and husband Mark Consuelos have the house to themselves after sending their youngest off to college. The Live with Kelly and Ryan co-host, 50, shared a glimpse at life at home without their kids, posting a selfie on the couch with Consuelos, 50. "So far we are crushing this empty nest thing," she captioned the Sunday Instagram post. "I had almost no doubt," wrote their oldest son Michael, 24, in the comments section. "Omg so funny and sorry. It must hurt bad 😢😢," added pal Naomi Watts, as Holly Robinson Peete quipped, "😂😂😂😂😂😂 but are we ever really empty-nesters? 🤔." The couple, who tied the knot in May 1996 after meeting the year before on the set of All My Children, also shares daughter Lola, 20, and son Joaquin, 18. Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Celebrate Youngest Son Joaquin's High School Graduation The post comes after the University of Michigan's wrestling team announced that Joaquin would attend the school as a member of the team. "Super excited to step into this next chapter with @umichwrestling! Honored to be part of this great program," Joaquin commented on the announcement in March. Lola is starting her junior year at NYU this fall, where Michael graduated virtually from their Tisch School of Arts in May 2020. Michael praised his parents' marriage earlier this month. "They're great, not just in like a relationship sense, but they're great role models," he told Entertainment Tonight. "I try to conduct myself the way I think they would." "One hundred percent they're relationship goals, and it's weird because I've been with them the longest," the couple's firstborn child added. "Not a year after they were married, about a year, then I came into the picture. So we kind of grew up together, at least that's how I see it." RELATED VIDEO: Kelly Ripa Shares Sweet Photos from Family's 'Delayed' European Vacation He also opened up about how he and his siblings call out their parents on social media. "I think it's just a little version of what we do at home. Our family, we're a bunch of jokers," Michael explained. "We like to rip on each other a lot and kid around and it spills out into the social media and all that, but it's just like home. That's just how we are." Ripa, Consuelos and their children enjoyed some quality extended family time over the summer, when they took a trip to Italy and Greece for the Fourth of July weekend. They originally planned the getaway as a celebration for Michael's graduation, as well as their niece's, but they had to postpone their plans amid the COVID-19 pandemic.