Kelly Ripa cries talking about son, Joaquin, co-host Ryan Seacreast tears up too

Kelly Ripa is known for her bubbly personality and her love for her family, but she got a bit emotional during a recent “Live with Kelly and Ryan” broadcast this week. Ripa opened up about her son Joaquin's struggles in school, and she even had co-host Ryan Seacrest getting a bit weepy. What's the scoop?

Ripa's son Joaquin surprised his mom at his fall conference

During the host chat on Wednesday's episode of “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” Kelly Ripa talked about how her son Joaquin is a freshman at a new school this year.

She has previously talked about his struggles with dyslexia and dysgraphia, learning challenges that can make it difficult for him to be successful at school. Kelly noted that she had just gone to Joaquin's first parent-teacher conference at the new school and things did not go as she expected.

Ripa choked up as she explained that during the conference, Joaquin's teachers noted that he is getting fantastic grades so far as a freshman. Kelly admitted that she started crying as she heard the news, joking that she had to wait through three kids to hear news like this. The “Live with Kelly and Ryan” host added that Joaquin did know his grades before the conference, but he managed to keep the exciting news a secret from his mom, telling her that there weren't any surprises on the way.

Seacrest got emotional as he praised his co-host

As Kelly and Ryan's chat continued, Seacrest lauded Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos for being role models for him. He said he's in awe and inspired by how Kelly handles career and family, and both “Live” hosts got teary as they talked through it all. Fans know that Ripa isn't typically a crier on-screen, so it was a special moment to see her open up about this challenge her son has faced. She went on to talk about how proud she is of Joaquin and the hard work he has put into his schoolwork despite the challenges he has faced.

It is usually laughter, fun, and games for Kelly and Ryan on the "Live" set, and there will be plenty of goofy moments coming up over the next few episodes as they embrace Halloween and the opportunity to go all-out dressing up.

However, Wednesday's show gave both Ripa and Seacrest a chance to show a different side of themselves as they allowed themselves to be vulnerable and emotional in front of the cameras. Despite some early doubts about this pairing, especially after all of the drama surrounding Michael Strahan's departure, Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest seem to have formed a strong partnership that viewers enjoy watching.