Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos blasted for 3-day workweek: ‘What a joke’

“Live” by name — but not by nature.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are catching heat after it was revealed Thursday’s episode of “Live With Kelly and Mark” was pre-recorded.

Viewers tuning in were met with a disclaimer from ABC stating that the show had been taped on a previous day.

Consuelos, 52, joined “Live” as a co-host on Monday, sitting alongside wife Ripa, also 52, who has helmed the program for more than two decades.

Given the strong interest in the couple’s first official week together on the air, it’s surprising to some that they chose to tape Thursday’s episode earlier.

However, pre-recording “Live” is not a new phenomenon that has been introduced with Consuelos.

During the six years that Ripa co-hosted with Ryan Seacrest, the pair occasionally pre-recorded episodes of “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” sometimes in order to accommodate the “American Idol” host’s busy schedule splitting time between New York City and Los Angeles.

Ripa and Seacrest would most commonly tape a Friday episode prior to broadcast — something they did for Seacrest’s final episode last week.

Given that this Friday’s installment of “Live with Kelly and Mark” has likely been pre-recorded, it appears Ripa and Consuelos will work just three days this week.

The Post has reached out to ABC for clarification of how often “Live” would be pre-recorded in a regular week.

Several fans were unimpressed by the fact that Thursday’s show was taped prior to airtime.

“Three days live, two taped,” one raged.

“Why not just record five in one day and call it a week? #youknowyouwantto” another sniped, with one more adding, “3 day a week contract, what a joke.”

One speculated that Ripa and Consuelos would only be working three days per week on a regular basis as part of a deal they cut with ABC.

Meanwhile, another wrote: “It would be nice to see an audience again and for the shows to actually be live and not prerecorded.”

ABC is bringing back the “Live” studio audience, with the show’s Twitter account posting a callout to people wanting to attend.

“Come see us live!” the post read. “Get tickets to be in our studio audience.”

Criticism over the chat fest’s pre-recording comes amid a rocky first week for Ripa and Consuelos together on the air.

Some viewers have taken issue with the married couple’s on-air PDA, while others criticized a discussion about Consuelos’ snoring.

However, live or pre-recorded, other fans are relishing Ripa and Consuelos’ pairing.

“Ahhhhh LOVE Kelly & Mark… just the morning show I’ve been waiting for. So glad you two are working together… and doing it SO WELL,” one cheered.

“I’m like a proud parent watching the show. I smile throughout because I love them together. You can tell they are still madly in love,” a second stated.

“Congratulations Mark!! When are y’all bringing the live audience back? I want to come to NYC and support in person!” they concluded.