Gabriel Basso awkwardly tries to avoid hugging Kelly Ripa in front of Mark Consuelos on Live: ‘You’re married’

One day after shocking Lara Spencer by calling her “ma’am” on Good Morning America, actor Gabriel Basso inadvertently threw another morning TV show host for a (tiny) loop after he comically attempted to avoid hugging Kelly Ripa in front of husband Mark Consuelos on Live With Kelly and Mark.

The Night Agent actor appeared Thursday on the morning show to promote season 2 of the Netflix thriller series, and as he walked out to cheers from the audience, he quickly approached Ripa with his hand extended outward.

Ripa initially held her arms open for a hug, but adapted to meet Basso’s outstretched hand before going in for a hug.

“Welcome, hello. We do hugs here. Is that okay? Was that weird?” Ripa said, making light of the awkward exchange.

“No, I just… you’re married, I just wanted to give you a handshake,” Basso replied, which made Consuelos laugh.

“Well, Mark was going to hug you first, but I wanted to make him feel less weird about it,” Ripa replied, with Basso admitting that he “missed” Consuelos’ gesture: “It’s all good,” Basso said before the interview carried on.

On Wednesday, Basso’s penchant for politeness took the aforementioned Spencer by surprise on GMA, when he called her “ma’am” at the end of their interview — which prompted the anchor to playfully scold him with a laugh as she advised him: “Oh, don’t call me ma’am!”

Basso’s round of morning show appearances comes ahead of The Night Agent season 2, which debuts Jan. 23 on Netflix — the same streaming platform that boosted the actor’s profile when he played VP-elect J.D. Vance in Ron Howard’s 2020 drama Hillbilly Elegy.

Live with Kelly and Mark airs weekdays in syndication. Check your local listings for showtimes in your area.