Regis Philbin retiring from 'Live With Regis and Kelly' [poll]

Regis Philbin is retiring, he announced Tuesday on "Live! With Regis and Kelly" -- ending a decades-long run on the morning show, but not ending the show itself.

"This will be my last year on this show," Philbin told viewers. "It's been a long time; it's been 28 years since I've been here. And it was the biggest thrill of my life.

"There is a time that everything must come to an end for certain people on camera, especially certain old people," he joked.

Philbin, 79, didn't give a specific end date, but said he'd wrap it up "at the end of summer, into the fall."

The announcement was a surprise. Even co-host Kelly Ripa didn't know the news until about 15 minutes before the show started. Was it calling in to Larry King's retirement show that got him thinking?

Ripa will continue on the show, and the studio said in a statement that it will find a new co-host to sit down with her. Kathie Lee Gifford was Philbin's co-host starting in 1985, two years into the show's run, until Ripa replaced her in 2001.

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-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Host Regis Philbin onstage at the 37th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards at the Las Vegas Hilton in 2010. Credit: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Comments

[Antoinette]

I had hoped Regis would never retire. It also seems like it wasn't his choice. Maybe I'm reading into things. But this is sad.

[theresa cota]

regis you kelly are so good together and always makes me laugh, it is the best show, you will be missed