Philbin, a born and bred New Yorker, was known for his contagious excitement and incomparable storytelling on screen as a talk and game show host. He holds the Guinness World Record for “Most Hours on U.S. Television” with 16,746.5 hours, many of them live and unscripted.
“Spontaneous conversation,” Philbin said about his approach to hosting in a 2011 New York Times profile. “Spontaneity is everything to me, working without a net.”
Regis Philbin was born on August 25, 1931, in the Bronx to Florence and Frank Philbin. After attending Cardinal Hayes High School, he went to the University of Notre Dame, from which he graduated in 1953 with a sociology degree. He then served in the U.S. Navy for two years as a supply officer before following his dreams of being on television, at the urging of a superior.
Philbin got his start working as an NBC page before becoming a newscaster and got his first big break working as Joey Bishop’s sidekick on “The Joey Bishop Show” in the late 1960s. After the show was canceled in 1969, Philbin hosted various late night and early morning talk shows before landing a star-making gig with Kathie Lee Gifford on ABC in 1985.
“Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee” became a ratings stalwart for the network, in large part due to the hosts’ chemistry and Philbin’s antics. The show continued to reel in viewers after Gifford’s departure in 2000, with Philbin even winning a Daytime Emmy for his solo work. Gifford was eventually replaced by Kelly Ripa, who was Philbin’s co-host for over a decade before he decided to leave the show in 2011 after 25 years. Philbin and Ripa also won an Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Hosts in 2011. She now hosts “Live!” with Ryan Seacrest.
His undeniable morning show success was gratifying for Philbin, but in the Times profile, which came out shortly before his “Live!” exit, he said hosting the ABC prime-time game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” beginning in 1999 was “kind of the highlight of my life.”
“I realized there was a difference between a syndicated morning show and prime time,” he said. “‘Regis saved the network!’ I used to walk around saying that. I was a big man! I was a giant! It was a wonderful time in a broadcaster’s life to get a show like that. Wow, it was dynamite.”
The prominence of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” was certainly a moment in pop culture history, as the game show became a must-watch event each week until it went into syndication after 2002.
Philbin underwent an angioplasty in 1993 and triple bypass surgery in 2007. Since then, he worked to maintain a healthy diet and cholesterol level.
At the time of his death, Philbin was married to his wife of 50 years, interior designer Joy Philbin, with whom he had two daughters, Joanna and Jennifer.
“There’s just something about Regis,” Joy Philbin told Parade in 2011. “There’s always something new on the horizon and it keeps our lives active and fun. I’d rather be with Regis than any other person in the world.”
Charles McDonald and Nate Tice's latest mock draft has five quarterbacks off the board in the top 13, a big-time weapon for Aaron Rodgers and some steals in the second half of the first round.
McCarthy's draft stock is soaring the past couple weeks, with betting odds following suit and his former coach heaping praise. Do NFL evaluators and front office members think it's real, or the latest in a long line of smokescreens?
Charles McDonald is joined by ESPN NFL Draft Expert Jordan Reid to dive into the 2024 NFL Draft, new rule changes and more. Charles and Jordan start with giving their favorite sleeper prospects (outside the top 50) your team should draft. They discuss Malik Washington, Javon Bullard, Christian Haynes, Audric Estime and more before diving into a deeper conversation on the rising draft stock of Spencer Rattler and whether his maturity concerns are legitimate, plus Jayden Daniels and the new trend of skipping pre-draft testing.
Later in the show, Charles and Jordan react to the latest rule changes in the NFL, including the new kickoff rule (and why Charles loves it), the hip drop tackle and how it'll be enforced and the additional coach's challenge (and why Charles is against it).