Showbiz vet Regis Philbin is resting comfortably after successful hip replacement surgery Tuesday.
“Everything went perfectly this morning during Regis’ hip replacement surgery, and his doctor said that Regis couldn’t be in better shape,” a rep for the 78-year-old said this afternon. “Regis anticipates returning to ‘LIVE! with Regis and Kelly’ soon after the first of the year, given the procedure’s typical four-six week recovery time. Regis and Joy want to thank everyone for their support and best wishes.”
The show says the typical recovery period is four to six weeks and Reg plans to return to his syndicated daytime talk show early next month.
Regis Philbin isn’t letting pending hip replacement surgery slow him down. The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host will sit in for Meredith Vieira, host of the syndicated version of the game show, during a weeklong guest stint.
The episodes are slated to air from Nov. 30 through Dec. 4 and mark the first time that Philbin will take over the weekday edition of the game show.
On Monday, the 78-year-old revealed plans to take a leave of absence from co-hosting Live with Regis and Kelly to undergo hip replacement surgery in New York.
On Monday, on-air personality Regis Philbin disclosed that he will be taking some time off from his morning talk show, Live with Regis and Kelly, in order to recover from his upcoming hip surgery.
Philbin, 78, will be taking a leave of absence from ABC’s long-running morning hit beginning Dec. 1 and is expected to be out into the new year. Co-host Kelly Ripa will be joined by celebrity guest hosts until Regis returns in early 2010. Philbin has been in chronic pain since slipping off a podium while taping a segment for the Who Wants to be a Millionaire primetime special last summer.
The time could be right for The Silver Fox to step in for Regis.
Television legend has tapped CNN anchor Anderson Cooper — host of AC360 — to replace him on Live! within in the next two years, The National Enquirer reported Monday.
According to the tabloid report, Buena Vista Television is expected to offer Anderson a multimillion contract to join Kelly Ripa as host of the ABC morning gabfest when 78-year-old Regis retires in 2011. Read the rest of this entry »
A “light and fluffy” interview between Jon & Kate Plus 8’s Kate Gosselin and Live With Regis & Kelly host Regis Philbin quickly became uncomfortable after the 74-year-old went off-script and asked whether Kate could see herself reconnecting with her estranged husband, Jon Gosselin, who has romanced at least three younger women in the six weeks since the couple announced their split, The New York Daily News reports.
