Riverdale season three has bee full of drama recently, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to let up any time soon.
Fans were ecstatic when bad man Hiram Lodge (played by Mark Consuelos) was shot on the show last week.
He’s been a nuisance ever since he emerged on the scene back in season two, especially for Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) and Archie Andrews (KJ Apa).
However, it was revealed that the businessman has a mystery mistress in Wednesday’s episode, and she’s played by none other than Kelly Ripa.
Ripa happens to be Consuelos’s wife, and the couple revealed how she ended up getting the role as Hiram’s mistress, Mrs. Mulwray, on Riverdale.
Ripa revealed in a recent interview with Vanity Fair that it was showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s idea to cast her in the role.
Consuelos came home and revealed to Ripa the showrunner’s idea of casting her, she apparently “howled” with laughter.
“I literally howled,” Ripa told Vanity Fair. “And I said, ‘Your mistress?!’”
However, when she was first told about the role, Ripa started listing names of actresses who’d be perfect for the role, not realising that Mark and Roberto wanted her to play Mrs. Mulwray.
She didn’t think she was “mistress material” to which Consuelos replied: “Oh, sweetie. You’re definitely mistress material.”
Before appearing on Riverdale, Ripa is the co-host of Live with Kelly and Ryan, the long-running syndicated talk show.
She first told her 2.2 million Instagram followers about her Riverdale casting news back in November when she shared a rather say photo with the caption: It’s a family affair.”
She continued: “Hiram’s mistress. 23 years of auditioning for a role I was born to play.”
Aguirre-Sacasa had initially intended to cast Ripa as a district attorney, yet there were scheduling conflicts, yet it all turned out well in the end since Mrs. Mulwray was the role she was born to play.
Ripa also revealed that she knew many of the cast, including Spouse, since they were children, so she fitted into the show very well.
“There’s a lot of history there, and it really is very much like a family,” Ripa said.
The role is smaller one for now, yet Consuelos teased that there is room for it to grow in the future.
“It’s definitely not a closed thing . . . I think there’s definitely opportunity for [her] to come back,” he said.
Fans will be undoubtedly looking forward to seeing the character return in future episodes.
Riverdale season 3 continues next Wednesday on The CW and Thursday morning on Netflix.