Regis Philbin Retiring From Live With Regis and Kelly
"I don't want to alarm anybody, but this will be my last year on the show," he said, igniting a chorus of groans from audience members.
Philbin has helmed different incarnations of 'Live' since 1983, when it was called 'The Morning Show.' His co-hosts have included Cyndy Garvey, Ann Abernathy, Kathie Lee Gifford and Kelly Ripa.
"It's been a long time," he said, "and it was the biggest thrill of my life to come back to New York, where I grew up as a kid watching TV in the early days, you know, never even dreaming that I would one day have the ability, or whatever it takes, to get in front of the camera and talk to it."
The veteran host then lightened the heavy mood with a bit of his trademark self-deprecating wit. "There is a time that everything must come to an end for certain people on camera -- especially certain old people!"
"I think I can only speak for America and all of us here," said Ripa, "when I say it has been a pleasure and a privilege and a dream come true. And I wish I could do something to make you change your mind."
"It has been my great honor to work with Regis since the Walt Disney Company nationally syndicated 'LIVE' in 1988," Janice Marinelli, president of Disney-ABC Domestic Television, said in a statement. "Regis is one of the great, iconic television personalities of our time and we couldn't have asked for a better friend and partner over the years. We will all certainly miss having Regis be a part of our day."
Philbin began to publicly ponder his retirement options a few years ago, telling reporters, "I do love being off. The years are going by, and I have reached a point in my life when, frankly, most guys my age have been retired for a few years."
According to ABC, the 'LIVE' franchise will continue after Philbin's departure and Disney-ABC Television Group will name a new co-host to join Ripa, who celebrates 10 years as co-host of 'Live' next month, sometime in the next few months. The show is already planning to "welcome top guests and feature special segments" as part of its farewell celebration for Philbin.
The three-time Emmy Award winner has been a fixture on television sets since the 1950s, when he came up working for local stations. His first taste of national exposure came in 1967 when he scored the sidekick role on Joey Bishop's short-lived late-night show.
After spending many years on the morning television circuit, primarily in Los Angeles, Philbin moved back to New York in 1983 to host 'The Morning Show.' Two years into the job, he teamed up with Kathie Lee Johnson, who later married football great Frank Gifford, and their show went nationwide in 1988.
Gifford left in 2000 and a year later soap star Ripa ('All My Children') filled the slot. Their show reaches an average of 4 million viewers a day, according to Nielsen statistics.
Aside from daytime TV, Philbin proved he could handle primetime when he began hosting the top-rated game show 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' over 10 years ago.