Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Gush Over ‘Sexy’ ‘White Lotus’ Guest Walton Goggins: ‘That Smile’

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos both developed serious crushes on “sexy” White Lotus season 3 star Walton Goggins when he joined the duo for an appearance on Live With Kelly and Mark.

The pair opened their show by discussing how incredible it was meeting the actor, 53, backstage ahead of their Tuesday, April 8, telecast.

“Receding hairlines are suddenly sexy thanks to White Lotus hunk Walton Goggins,” Kelly, 54, told the audience. “I have to say, I don’t really consider Walton Goggins to have a receding hairline, this is not what I think of as a receding hairline at all, but we can all agree he is sexy.”

“When you see him in person, out of the jungle — with respect to you, and I think you’ll agree — he is way sexier,” the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native said to Mark, 54, referring to how The White Lotus season 3 was set in steamy Thailand.

“I met him backstage, and I was lost in his eyes. I got lost. That smile!” Mark replied. “He’s got what the kids call, what do the kids call it? Rizz! He’s lovely. The nicest, sweetest guy.”

While Walton wore loose tropical shirts and trousers while playing Rick Hatchett on the Max series, he showed off his personal style in a fitted neutral-hued shirt and pants combo for his Live appearance.

The Righteous Gemstones star also got to flash plenty of smiles while chatting with Mark and Kelly, something he didn’t get to do on The White Lotus. As tortured soul Rick, Walton’s character spent the season hunting down who he believed was his father’s murderer.

During Walton’s appearance on Live, the hosts made sure not to let him spill any spoilers about the dramatic finale episode that aired on Sunday, April 6, in case some viewers hadn’t got around to watching it yet.

Instead, the Justified alum shared a story about his connection to costar Patrick Schwarzenegger‘s father, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and how Walton had a full-circle moment with the action hero’s son.

“The first night of The White Lotus, we went out to dinner – there were about six or seven of us – and I was sitting next to Patrick Schwarzenegger,” he said of the actor, 31, who played Saxon Ratliff on season 3.

Walton continued, “I said, ‘Well I’ve got a story for you! I met your father once!’ And he said, ‘OK, everybody has an Arnold story.’”

The Birmingham, Alabama, native recounted how The Terminator star, 77, came into the store where he was working three decades prior along with his two young daughters, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, 35, and Christina Schwarzenegger, 33, to buy them red cowboy boots. In addition to Patrick and his daughters, Arnold also shares a fourth child: 27-year-old son Christopher Schwarzenegger, with ex-wife Maria Shriver.

“So, I was fitting his daughters, and he said, ‘We had to leave the hospital because my wife and I just had a baby,'” Walton explained.

“Then, I looked at Patrick, and I said, ‘Wait a minute, how old are you?’ He said, ‘31.’ I said ‘It was you! You were the baby!’ So, that was my connection to Patrick,” he recalled.

The two men shared few scenes during The White Lotus season 3. Saxon had numerous encounters with Rick’s girlfriend Chelsea, played by Aimee Lou Wood. By the end of the season, Chelsea helped Saxon explore a more spiritual side, and he was able to come to the heartbreaking realization that true love was missing from his life after watching her run into Rick’s arms during the season 3 finale.