Adios Regis! Philbin Says Goodbye After 28 Years

Adios Regis! Philbin Says Goodbye After 28 Years In September of this year, long-standing talk show icon Regis Philbin made the announcement that he would be retiring, and today he followed through with his promise, leaving "Live with Regis and Kelly" after an impressive 28 years on the show.

Philbin was honored by a long list of celebrities, the Mayor of New York, and his co-host Kelly Ripa.

Donald Trump, Tony Danza, Katie Couric, Robert Iger (CEO of Disney),  Diane Sawyer, and of course Frank and Kathie Lee Gifford were in the studio to say goodbye to the television talk show legend.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave him the key to the city, while ABC honored Philbin with a plaque outside his studio.

When the tributes were done, Regis honored his "no tears" pledge, and kept it simple:
 
"I'll never forget the mornings I spent with you. I'll see you real soon."
 
Kelly Ripa expressed her feelings (and the feelings of a whole lot of Regis' fans) in an equally succinct way via Twitter, with a simple emoticon:

:(

In retiring from his post as popular host of the morning talk show, Regis will be leaving Kelly Ripa in a position he was once in himself.

"Kelly will be trying out new cohosts, just like we did 11 years ago, when we found her," said Philbin.
 
His seat won't be vacant for too long. ABC announced earlier this month that Jerry Seinfeld will fill the hosting seat as a guest host, replacing Philbin alongside Kelly Ripa on the newly titled 'Live! With Kelly' November 21-23rd.
 
Also reportedly joining the rotating field of guest hosts will be current Muppet movie ringmaster Jason Segal, "Sex and the City" star Kim Cattrall, Howie Mandel, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and the inimitable Miss Piggy.
 
 
Watch a retrospective of Regis Philbin's work, intro'ed by Kelly Ripa and narrated by Alan Alda:

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