Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Farewell Regis: This Morning The Talk Show Host Takes His Leave
By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 18, 2011
Modified Nov 18, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 18, 2011
Modified Nov 18, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
This morning, 80-year-old Regis Philbin embarks on his final farewell from the morning talk show he has co-hosted for over twenty years (#RegisFarewell is trending on Twitter right now). The other day we looked back at Regis throughout the years, and last night David Letterman (a huge fan of the Reeg) gave him the Top 10 treatment, with "Top 10 Things We'll Miss About Regis" (he also predicts we'll all need therapy when we realize Regis isn't coming back to our television screens—although Regis is calling this a leave, because he doesn't like the word "retirement"):
If you head over to the show's website, you can dive down a rabbit hole of memories, but we especially like this video narrated by Alan Alda:
Here are some scenes from this morning, before the show began:
via dialkyle and Regis and Kelly
Update: Mayor Bloomberg is on the show, suggesting that Philbin be a cab driver or work at Gray's Papaya. Guests in the audience include Diane Sawyer, Donald Trump, Tony Danza and, yes, Kathie Lee Gifford. There is a montage of various celebrities doing Regis impressions—Dana Carvey, Martin Short, Jimmy Fallon, Ben Affleck, Amy Poehler, Neil Patrick Harris and Kelly herself—as well as montages featuring his wife Joy and daughters Jennifer and JJ.
Via Regis & Kelly
Update: At the end of an emotional show, including a performance of "Seasons of Love" by the current cast of Rent, Disney president Bob Iger presented Philbin with a plaque outside the ABC Studios at Columbus and 67th Street. And that seemed rather anti-climactic: As one person Tweeted, "Watching last #RegisandKelly. I'm sure #Regis loved having ABC president dedicate plaque 2 him-instead of renewing his contract on his terms."
Tagged
farewell regis
live with regis and kelly
regis and kelly
regis philbin
television
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
Spoiler alert: It's still 26.2 miles.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 2:36 p.m. ET
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .