Regis Philbin Announces Retirement From ‘LIVE! with Regis and Kelly’

Regis Philbin announced today that he will be retiring from the very successful, long-running talk show “LIVE! with Regis and Kelly.”  Philbin made the announcement live on-air this morning during the Host Chat portion of the show.

As Philbin stated to the viewers 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… There is a time that everything must come to an end…”  Referring to his remaining time on the show he added, “We’ll have a lot of fun between now and then.”

Regis Philbin is a legend in the entertainment industry, a hall of fame broadcaster with more than 50 years in front of the camera.  “LIVE! with Regis and Kelly” premiered in national syndication in 1988 as “Live with Regis & Kathie Lee.” The show debuted locally in 1983 on WABC New York as “The Morning Show.”  A three-time Emmy Award winner, Philbin was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences at the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2008.

“It has been my great honor to work with Regis since the Walt Disney Company nationally syndicated ‘LIVE’ in 1988,” said Janice Marinelli, president, Disney-ABC Domestic Television.  “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.”

The “LIVE” franchise will continue, and in the coming months Disney-ABC Television Group will name a new co-host to join the talented and captivating Kelly Ripa – who celebrates ten incredible years co-hosting with the show, next month.

While 2011 will be a year of great change for “LIVE,” it will also be a time of incredible excitement as the show sends Philbin off in style.   In the coming months, “LIVE” will welcome top guests and feature special segments, all part of the countdown to the spectacular farewell celebration for the incomparable Regis Philbin.

“WABC is proud to be the home of ‘LIVE! with Regis and Kelly,’ and it will be difficult to say goodbye to Regis after 28 years as a member of our family,” commented Dave Davis, president and general manager, WABC. “We will miss him as a colleague and friend.  We’re fortunate, however, to have two real pros who can lead ‘LIVE’ into the future – Kelly Ripa, who has spent the last ten years developing her own amazing voice in daytime talk, and Michael Gelman, who has been with the show since its inception and is one of the best executive producers in daytime television.”

“LIVE” began when Regis Philbin created “The Morning Show” for WABC in his native New York City; it soon became the number one show in the market.  Kathie Lee Gifford joined him in June 1985 and in September 1988, the program debuted in national syndication and the title was changed to “Live with Regis & Kathie Lee.”  The show matched its local success with extraordinary national ratings and established itself as a dominant fixture in national television, a tradition that continued when Ripa joined the show in 2001.

For nearly 25 years, “LIVE” has been an essential stop for the top names in the entertainment industry.  From award-winning actors to the hottest musical acts, the show boasts A-list celebrity guests, top-notch musical performances and one-of-a-kind segments that are unrivaled on daytime television.

Currently in its 23rd season in national syndication, “LIVE! with Regis and Kelly” is executive produced by Michael Gelman, and is distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television.  Produced by WABC-TV in New York, “LIVE” airs in more than 200 markets across North America.

Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.

Get started below for your FREE No Obligation Quote.

Book With our friends at Destinations to Travel

Who is your Travel Agent?(Required)

Let us pick for youEric HilesStacy ReedAbbey JohnsonAlisa SullivanAlli WillisAmanda FolsomAmanda VannAmber BrillhartAmber FisherAmy SieburnAndrea SmithAngela AndersonAngie BaycuraAnna PetrilliAnnabelle DuboseApril StefanskiAshley RamseyBeth ParsonsBetsy SantoroBrandie McQueenBrian BuckleyBridget HatchBryan SchwartzCandice SneedCarrie ButlerCarson DockumCasey BoltCharleen HortonChelsea RoyChelsea WuebkerChris BoyerChristie GrubeChristina FratturaChristina SmithCourtney WhiteCraig YoderDan MercedDanielle NorcrossDarby MouritsenDavid ForrestDeborah AlvaradoEmilee BiegelEmily MorrisFaith HakesGail HatchGreg MatzkerHelen HummerHolly CurryJackie CavistonJaclyn PepitoneJamie SwansonJeanine JordanJeff CallahanJenni MaierJennifer BrownJennifer StephensonJennifer StoessnerJessica HatfieldJessica HuffJessica WunderJoe GuertinJon CarpentierJoseph SliwaJulie McCombJustin BrownKat AttridgeKathryn EberhartKathy AndersonKatie HarrellKatie PrevotKayla CookKelsey SullensKim HelmsKimberly HutchinsonKristi GallagherKyle RamsdenLauren DewlenLeanne MonterLinda DurhamLindsay AckermannLindsey VromanLissette BritoLori HardyMallory MorrisonMandi QuinnMaranda PerkinsMarisa AlvaradoMegan TeismannMeghan BlairMelissa ReedMichele KlineMike BeyerMissy McCormickMisty DickersonNancy CasteelNicole ThorntonPatrick O'ConnorPaul SulPeyton Ward-KubikRaylene CooganRegan OstranderRobbie BulusRobert ThomasSara SolbergSarah McCandlishShanna BrowningShelley BennettShelly MetzStacy CristStacy KrzyminskiStacy SmithStephanie DraganoStephanie FerencStephanie WalshSusannah McCordTara SlusserTerri MillerTiffany DobraskiTiffany DrenkhahnTina FarmerTonya LesiukTracy DaneTroy DuncanVeronica RenteriaVicki FesslerWendy CarllWendy HauserWendy KellehanWendy Shelley

Name(Required)

First Last

Email(Required)

Phone(Required)

Destination(Required)

Walt Disney WorldDisneyland ResortDisney Cruise LineAulani, A Disney Resort and SpaAulani, A Disney Resort and SpaUniversal FloridaUniversal HollywoodRoyal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian or other Cruise LineI don't know yet

# of Adults(Required)

# of Children(Required)

Check-in-Date(Required)

MM slash DD slash YYYY

Check-out-Date(Required)

MM slash DD slash YYYY

Comments, Questions or Special Requests

Phone

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Δ

For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don't forget to check out the Chip and Company Radio Network too!