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Regis Philbin announces his retirement

“Live” will continue without the veteran host

Regis Philbin, who has hosted ABC’s Live With Regis and Kelly (originally Live With Regis and Kathie Lee) since the 1980s, announced today that he will be stepping down from the show. The 79-year-old Philbin spent many years as a host on both television and radio; he was selected by comedian Joey Bishop to be his sidekick on a talk show that tried, and failed, to take on Johnny Carson. In addition to his talk show duties, he also hosted ABC’s version of Who Wants to Be a Millionare?, which became one of the biggest hits of its era. He also appeared as himself on my other talk shows and TV series like How I Met Your Mother, and had a role in Woody Allen’s movie Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask. Live will continue after Philbin’s departure, slated for the summer; the network is looking for a new host to work with Philbin’s co-star, Kelly Ripa.

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