Kelly Ripa has raised some eyebrows with her most recent social media post.

The beloved talk show host and her husband Mark Consuelos recently took to Instagram to wish their fans a Merry Christmas. However, it wasn’t the holiday cheer that caught everyone’s attention — but rather a surprising detail in one of the photos.

The Christmas Day Instagram slideshow featured two images of the radiant celebrity couple, captioned with “Big Nick Energy Christmas 2023” and “#MerryChristmas”.

In the first picture, the duo stood before a beautifully lit Christmas tree, dressed in dark-clad outfits. Consuelos, 52, wore a sleek black button-up dress shirt, while Ripa, 53, stunned in a sparkling deep-V gown.

But it was the second snapshot that caused some confusion among Ripa’s 3.4 million Instagram followers. In this photo, the couple sported matching t-shirts featuring a winky-face cartoon Santa and the phrase “Big Nick Energy”. Check out the post below:

But rather than focus on the humorous shirt or black sequin Santa hat, many people were noticed that Ripa had gone pants-less for the pic.

“I think maybe crop out the underwear,” one top-liked comment humorously suggested, with a second asking: “Kelly why show us your [underwear]”.

A third commenter jokingly suggested: “Kelly forgot to put on pants.”

“Really need to see your underwear,” someone else remarked.

Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa caused a stir with their festive snap. Credit: Kevin Mazur / Getty

However, amid the confusion, many fans quickly came to the award-winning talk show host’s defense. It appears as if many followers missed the fact that the couple were posed near a cabana-style bed, and that Ripa’s “underwear” actually appears to be her bikini bottoms.

“People!!!! It’s a swimsuit!!! Can’t you see the cabana in the background!!! And if it was underwear, it’s her insta, she can post what she wants!! Good grief,” one Instagram user replied.

“Yes, people, leave her alone for Pete’s sake!!! You’re just jealous,” a second added, with a third commenting: “They are standing in front of a cabana! That’s her swimsuit!”

Kelly and Mark form one of Hollywood’s most enduring couples. The beloved couple married in May 1996 – a mere year after they first met on the set of the soap opera All My Children. From that moment onwards, their love story has continued to flourish.

Over the past few decades, the dynamic duo has embraced the bustling life of parenthood, raising their three children. Their family includes Michael, 26, Lola, 22, and Joaquin, 20.

While it’s easy to mistake bikini bottoms for bikini-style underwear, as others have already pointed out, context is critical. Regardless, whether a swimsuit or underwear, it’s Kelly is a grown woman and it is her social media account — she’s entitled to share what she wants.

In the spirit of the season, let her enjoy her holidays as she sees fit! I wish it was warm enough where I was to don my swimsuit.