Regis Philbin has been one of my idols and good friends for many years. He has announced that, after 28 years, he is stepping down from his position as co-host of “Live!” On Tuesday’s show, he wasted no time getting right into the topic, telling everyone that he would be leaving at the end of this season (late August/early September).
In the monologue, he did not use the word “retirement”, and officially said in the “Inbox” segment that he is not retiring, just moving on to other things. With two grandchildren now, I’m sure he (and his wife Joy) want to be able to spend more time with the family than they can now.
Regis will turn 80 in August, so I guess the time is right. He told me in an interview back in November, 2008 that he was only going to do the show for a couple more years. Those couple of years have sure flown by. Of course I was surprised to hear the official news, but then again I wasn’t.
This was one of the big entertainment stories of the day, but I wasn’t entirely happy with how many of the news shows dealt with it. Most played some of the clip of his announcement and mentioned the 28 years, and that he’s turning 80, but then they spent the rest of the time talking about who his replacement is going to be.
Let me make this very clear: No one will ever be able to replace Regis, and on the day he (or anyone of his stature) announces that they’re stepping down the media shouldn’t spend so much time talking about who’s coming next. Instead, they should honor the person’s legacy, what they accomplished, and how much they meant to the entertainment world, and beyond. And so that’s what I’m going to do now:
Regis is an entertainment icon. He helped turn a local, NYC talk show into a nationally syndicated worldwide hit, and kept at for nearly three decades. He’d done a lot of great things before becoming a talk show host, and many others while he’s been doing “Live”, including making millionaires on a primetime game show. And, personally, he’s been an inspiration to me since I began in the entertainment field, and is one of the nicest people I have ever met.
So Regis (if you’re reading this), I’d like to steal part of a song that you sung on one of your albums, as a tribute to you:
“For Nobody else gave me a thrill…It had to be you, wonderful you. It had to be you.” Congratulations.