Legendary broadcaster Regis Philbin will be retiring from his daily syndicated ABC talk show, “Live! with Regis & Kelly,” the host said today.
Philbin made the announcement on his program this morning:
“This will be my last year on this show. It’s been a long time, it’s been 28 years since I’ve been here. And it was the biggest thrill of my life,” he said.
ABC says the franchise will continue with a new co-host, who will be announced in the coming weeks.
Philbin first got his own TV show in 1961, and has appeared on dozens of programs since, including a short lived stint as host of “The Tonight Show” (then called the “Westinghouse Tonight Show from Hollywood”) in 1964.
In the 1970’s he hosted KABC’s morning show, “A.M. Los Angeles,” propelling the station to first place in the time slot. That show would eventually morph into “Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee,” and went national in 1988.
In 2001, Kelly Ripa replaced Kathie Lee Gifford, who has since moved on to host the fourth hour of NBC’s “Today.”
Gifford wished Philbin well on “Today” this morning:
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Philbin hosts the Guinness World Record for most time spent in front of a TV camera.
Video of Philbin’s announcement is below.