Ever since Regis Philbin stepped into the media glow over 40 years ago, he’s been a household name. He’s also proven to be a resilient and lasting public figure, racking up a few Emmys, TV Guide’s “Personality of the Year,” and the Crystal Apple Award, just to name a few. Regis is now one of the most respected and beloved television hosts in America, as well as a survivor of the tabloids, heart surgery, and changing times.
Before he became famous, Regis Philbin was just another kid growing up in the middle of the greatest city in the world, New York. Throughout most of his career, he’s remained a steadfast, loyal New Yorker, leaving the city only to pursue a career in sunny California, and to claim his star on Hollywood’s walk of fame.
He was born into a turbulent world that never expected the tumultuous decades to come. Radio was at its peak, its success soon to be overshadowed by television, which would bring Regis into just about every household in the land.
"I’ve made it my business to go out there and grab that audience and keep them with me!"
Regis Francis Xavier Philbin (who was named after a Jesuit high school) came from an Irish-American Catholic family living in the South Bronx. After attending high school at Cardinal Hayes (a strict parochial school), he went on to prestigious Notre Dame, a college famous for its athletes, which would provide one of the favorite topics for the future TV host. Following college, young Regis joined the Navy before becoming a Tonight Show page, a Hollywood gofer, and a local news writer in Los Angeles.
In his office with pal Dean Martin |
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By 1967, he’d gained national exposure as a sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show (which he doesn’t consider the high point of his career). Being resilient, he followed Joey with a successful seven-year run on A.M. Los Angeles, precursor to the Live shows he’s hosted with Cindy Garvey, Kathie Lee Gifford, and currently Kelly Ripa.
Regis’s trademark style of “host chat” developed on his first talk show in San Diego, for which he won his first Emmy. Because the rookie host had no writer’s budget, he simply engaged the audience by sharing his own observations and opinions. This technique evolved into Philbin’s People, where popular personalities would join Regis to discuss current events and issues.
Regis created The Morning Show 16 years ago for WABC in Manhattan. Starting with Cindy Garvey, he soon revamped the show, adding Kathie Lee Gifford, and renaming it Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. The show became such a hit that it was syndicated nationally in 1988.
Regis’s activities in the literary world include his memoir, I’m Only One Man; and two books with Kathie Lee: Entertaining with Regis and Kathie Lee and Cooking with Regis and Kathie Lee. A host and spokesman for game shows, Miss America Pageants, and the American Heart Association, Regis decided it was time to raise health and exercise awareness by making an exercise video (Regis: My Personal Workout) after he experienced a coronary scare.
"I dreamed that one day, I’d be the guy I was
watching on TV."
In 1999, Regis became one of the highest-paid game show hosts ever with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Later that year, Kathie Lee Gifford bid farewell to her longtime co-host (to concentrate on her music career) after almost 13 years. No one knew what would happen to the show after Gifford’s departure; but by the fall of 2000, the show had become more popular than ever. The following spring, Live with Regis welcomed soap opera star Kelly Ripa, renaming it yet again as Live with Regis and Kelly.
In between the many twists and turns his career has taken, Regis still found time to marry and raise a family. Although his first marriage (to Kay Faylan) ended in 1968, his marriage to his second wife, Joy, has lasted 33 years and produced two daughters, Joanna and Jennifer. Joy has often served as his co-host on Live; and the two have obviously learned the secret to a successful marriage.
We made our way to the Live with Regis and Kelly show to catch an exclusive interview with the man about town. Pulling up, we saw lines of people patiently waiting outside the ABC studios on a hot, muggy day. Some had waited for hours, sure they would get what they wanted, which was to be captivated by Regis and Kelly both on- and off-camera.
We watched as Regis’s and Kelly’s jokes and charm brought smiles during the commercial breaks. The rock band Smashmouth performed that day, and we watched as Regis and Kelly playfully danced off-camera with the group. During another commercial break, Kelly’s face lit up as she spotted her two-year-old daughter, Lola, in the audience with the nanny, sneaked a smooch from her, even though the child was covered in cream cheese from breakfast bagels! The cream-cheese-covered Kelly simply wiped her face on her sleeve, and headed back toward the camera.
The energy level in the studio was always high, and Regis made the audience feel at ease every chance he got. We could see how truly taken people were with him. Their beaming smiles said it all. Following the show we got our chance to radiate in Regis’s presence.
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Joy and Regis with daughter Jennifer
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Thumbs up
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Regis and Kelly with daughter Lola on the set
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