Mark Consuelos criticizes the 'Gen Z stare,' blames cellphones for young people without 'situatio...

&34;Live&34; guest cohost Elle Duncan added, &34;I think they've lost the art of small talk.&34; Mark Consuelos criticizes the 'Gen Z stare,' blames cellphones

"Live" guest cohost Elle Duncan added, "I think they've lost the art of small talk."

Mark Consuelos criticizes the 'Gen Z stare,' blames cellphones for young people without 'situational awareness'

"Live" guest cohost Elle Duncan added, "I think they've lost the art of small talk."

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Published on August 7, 2025 01:59PM EDT

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Mark Consuelos criticizes the 'Gen Z stare' on 'Live'. Credit:

- Mark Consuelos is admittedly perplexed by the "Gen Z stare" phenomenon.

- The actor and *Live* cohost said he thinks young Gen Z-ers have issues with staring because of cellphone usage.

- "I think they've lost the art of small talk," *Live* guest cohost Elle Duncan added.

Mark Consuelos is staring down the harsh reality of the "Gen Z stare," a phenomenon that's been going viral on social media after users have noticed that younger generations have a penchant for staring blankly at another party during a social interaction.

The 54-year-old *Live With Kelly & Mark* cohost began Thursday's episode by lamenting the stare, which he wryly described as "an emotionless expression teens and young adults sometimes make if someone inconveniences them by saying, 'Hi.'"

Diving into the topic with fill-in cohost Elle Duncan (Kelly Ripa is on her annual hiatus from the program), the actor speculated that the Gen Z stare might've stemmed from the COVID era, "when people were just trapped and didn't really communicate that much outside the house" while shut inside.

Elle Duncan and Mark Consuelos discuss the 'Gen Z stare' on 'Live'.

"Or it's those phones, and they communicate through Snapchat, however they're communicating, they don't have that interpersonal situational awareness," he continued. "It's a thing."

Duncan, 42, agreed. "I think they've lost the art of small talk," she observed. "Just this inability to be like, 'Hi, how are you? How's the weather? How are you doing? Are you tired? Are you having a good day?' I agree with you, I think it's the phone culture."

Consuelos and Duncan then joked about what they felt were Gen Z greetings, like "sup" and "brah."

Here's why Kelly Ripa isn't on 'Live With Kelly and Mark' this week

Mark Consuelos admits he's triggered when 'another guy' shakes his had incorrectly

Consuelos then sang his own generation's communicational praises, and cited a specific common occurrence as rearing Generation X's ability to hold a conversation.

"I'm quite a bit older than you, but I know when I had to call my friends, we didn't have no cellphones, we had to call the house phones," he remembered. "When you call your friend's house, nine out of 10 times their mother answered the phone, and you had to go through a whole list of questions and answers. You had to get past the gatekeeper to talk to your girlfriend or friend, so you had to learn how to speak to people!"

Consuelos eventually transitioned the conversation to one about handshakes, as he said that he taught his children how to properly greet someone — which is why he gets triggered when another man improperly shakes *his* hand.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos at the 'Running With the Wolves' premiere in New York.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

"You know what I hate, though? Sometimes when it's another guy, [he] comes in to shake your hand and they do this to you," he said, lightly grabbing Duncan's fingers.

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"They grab my finger, making your handshake very flaccid," Consuelos continued, looking out toward an audience member. "It's a power move, right, sir?"

*Live With Kelly & Mark* airs weekdays in syndication. Check local listings for showtimes in your area.

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