On Friday morning, millions of Americans are going to witness Talk Show Host Legend Regis Philbin leave his post after 28 years hosting Live with Regis and Kelly.
Now to some new viewers of the hit talk show, it was not always: Live with Regis and Kelly. The show was actually called the Morning Show and it started to air exclusively in the New York City area starting on April 4, 1983. Philbin started co-anchoring with Cyndy Garvey from 1983-84 and Ann Abernathy from 1984-85. The wheels started turning when current Today Show presenter Kathie Lee Gifford joined Philbin in 1985 and on September 5, 1988, the syndicated Live with Regis and Kathie Lee debuted in American households.
The show saw big changes at the New Millennium. Kathie Lee announced on February 29, 2000 that she would be leaving the show at the end of July to spend more time with her family. After Gifford’s final episode on July 28, 2000, the show became Live with Regis and featured guest co-hosts ranging from Survivor contestants to pop band *NSYNC. But a clear front-runner emerged from the pack: Kelly Ripa, especially after her appearance on November 1, 2000 when psychic Char Margolis predicted Ripa’s pregnancy. (Here’s the clip: http://youtu.be/V2DWZTI5Q0M) Ripa continued to have great chemistry with Regis and was named the permanent co-host on February 5, 2001 and the show was re-named again to Live with Regis & Kelly.
Over the past 10 years, the show covered everything from 9/11 to Regis’ heath problems. Viewers watched guests like Harry Potter actors Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson and superstars like Shia LaBeouf, Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift grow up right before their very own eyes. However, viewers and Kelly were in for a shock on January 18, 2011 when Philbin announced his departure from the show.
This past couple of weeks featured taped tributes from Jennifer Aniston, Larry the Cable Guy, Alec Baldwin, Celine Dion and countless of other celebrities. In addition to countless tributes: the past week, Regis received surprise visits from A-List actors Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas and Liam Neeson, sports legend Lou Holtz and his wife, Joy.
Since September, Live with Regis and Kelly have been airing flashbacks of some of Regis’ best moments on the show which ranged from drinking Mötley Brew with rock band Mötley Crüe in 1997 to Regis “opening” countless of garage doors back in the mid-2000s. While they are so many memories that viewers have from watching the show, Live recently revealed the viewers’ Top Five Flashback Moments which included memories like Kelly surprising visitors of Madame Tussard’s in New York with a Regis wax figure in 2001 to Regis making Christmas cookies with Kelly’s kids for their 2007 Christmas show.
November 14 marks Regis’ final week with Live and he will be going out with a bang as old friends Don Rickles, Donald Trump and David Letterman stop in to say goodbye, Regis unites with Kathie Lee and musical performances from Tony Bennett, Josh Groban and Bret Michaels. Do not forget that Regis’ final Live episode will be on November 18 and bring your tissues as Regis reflects on his tenure on the show.
For more information on the show, visit: http://dadt.com/live/
I do not own the photos and links that are attached to this blog post. They are properties of Disney-ABC Domestic Television.
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