In last week’s National Enquirer, there was a longer story about Regis Philbin’s sudden resignation from Regis & Kelly. According to the Enquirer’s sources, it was all a Regis hissy fit over money. As it so happens, the Enquirer’s sources seem pretty on-target. PopEater reports that Regis is leaving in huff for a combination of reasons, some of which include a contract renegotiation that went bad. Also a factor: Regis thinks he’s God‘s gift, but no one really gives a crap.

There’s a new twist in the surprise departure of Regis Philbin from ‘Live With Regis and Kelly,’ and as you’d expect, it centers around money. Loads of money. Regis fired his longtime manager, Jim Griffin, right after telling viewers he was quitting, and sources say he made the move because he was insulted by a proposed pay cut.

According to TMZ sources, Regis makes between $18 and $20 million a year. I’m told it’s a bit less than that, but regardless, an insider tells me that’s “more than double” what Kelly Ripa receives. ABC producers wanted an adjustment for Regis’ new contract, and Jim Griffin went to work on negotiations.

“Regis was insulted by the offer he got and chose to leave, blaming his agent on his way out,” a television exec tells me. “The problem is the world has changed around this legend. Regis thinks he’s being pushed out for someone they can pay peanuts to. The problem is if he thinks he’s going to get anywhere near that sort of money doing another show he should think again.”

Regis, 79, announced the news on last Tuesday’s episode of the hit show, saying that he will leave the program sometime in late summer.

He apparently told Kelly about his decision 15 minutes before they went on air. While initially she was said to be stunned, she is now apparently furious and feels he showed a total lack of respect for her.

An insider with knowledge of the situation tells me that ABC wanted to retain Regis but also felt that Kelly had proven during his medical leaves and frequent days off that she could thrive without him.

“The writing was on the wall when Regis got sick and the show’s ratings did not decline,” my source says. “When it came time to renegotiate his contract again, the producers knew the show would survive with or without him and offered him way less than the multimillions he had become accustomed to.”

Regis has said he’s not quitting television, just the show he’s helmed since 1983. ABC will announce his replacement in the coming months.

I was at ABC studios in New York just hours after Regis made his announcement and an executive who spoke on the condition of anonymity told me that producers have been “unofficially testing” out possible replacements for a while, but that they haven’t necessarily found Kelly’s partner yet.

“The show can definitely survive without Regis if they find Kelly the right new co-host,” an ABC exec tells me. “For some time they have been unofficially testing out potential replacements on the show. Neil Patrick Harris, Anderson Cooper and even Kelly’s husband, Mark, have filled in; yet no one was as good as Regis.”

[From PopEater's Rob Shuter]

It’s interesting that Kelly is allegedly pissed. It’s also interesting that Regis thinks he’s the biggest thing ever and the executives are like “So, are you going to be around later? Because we’re auditioning your replacement.” You knew it was going to be bad when just after Regis announced his retirement, there were already several big names being floated as a replacement. I really like the idea of Anderson Cooper with Kelly – they are really funny and cute together. Mark would be okay… but Kelly needs someone she can be bitchy and sassy with. That’s Anderson. Neil Patrick Harris too, maybe.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

When Regis Philbin announced his retirement after 28 years as a talk show host it came as a surprise to the nation, but was also reportedly a surprise to his co-host of nearly ten years, Kelly Ripa. According to TMZ, Kelly found out just 15 minutes before Regis announced it on the air, because he was afraid if he told anyone ahead of time the news would leak. That makes it sound like these two don’t have the best relationship, doesn’t it?

Sources connected with “Live! with Regis & Kelly” tell TMZ … Regis Philbin blindsided Kelly Ripa with his retirement announcement today … telling her less than 15 minutes before they went on the air.

We’re told Kelly was “stunned” that Regis didn’t tell her well in advance. But one source connected with the show tells us, “She wasn’t upset.”

Our sources say Regis felt if he talked about it before making the announcement, it would have leaked out.

[From TMZ]

You could tell by Kelly’s body language during Regis’ announcement that she was still reeling from the news. (The clip is above.) One person that Regis did inform well ahead of his announcement is his former co-host Kathie Lee Gifford. In a statement Gifford said that Regis has been talking about retiring for months. Burn to Kelly and that “leak” theory.

“We try to have dinner like every six weeks or something and the last couple of times that we had dinner he was talking very openly with me about it,” Kathie Lee, who co-hosted with Regis for 15 years, told Billy Bush and Kit Hoover on Tuesday. “He said, ‘I think it’s going to be at the end of this contract year,’ which would be September 2011, so that’s exactly what it’s going to be.”

Regis’ 80th birthday is right around the corner, but according to Kathie Lee, he’s won’t be slowing down in the least.

“He’s going to have a landmark birthday in August, It’s a new beginning for him… I don’t think Reg will ever retire,” she continued. “He loves what he does so much. But he can work in a lot of different ways and he can do it on his own schedule.

“You get tired of the sameness of something and as we age, you get tired of having to be on someone else’s schedule all the time,” Kathie Lee continued. “And even though he lives across the street from the studio, sometimes I know winters get to him I think he would rather be in sunny Florida or California and I’ve got a feeling he’s got some stuff up his sleeve.”

[From Access Hollywood]

Kathie Lee is also on a national talkshow, with Hoda on The Today Show, so if Regis told Kathie Lee that means he trusts her to keep a secret, unlike Kelly.

There’s speculation as to who would replace Regis on the show. Popeater’s Rob Schuter mentions that the success of Kathie Lee and Hoda points to a female co-host possibly taking Regis’ place. They’re potentially looking at someone around Kelly’s age so that they can continue to have the same two hosts for a decade or more. I hope they don’t consider Mark Consuelo. He seems like a decent guy, but the couple of times he cohosted with Kelly I was annoyed by their dumb couples banter.

Photos are from 9/22/10. Credit: WENN.com

Somwhat sad news to report – the end of an era. Regis Philbin announced his retirement this morning live, on his show with Kelly Ripa. He’s 79 years old! Kind of amazing that he’s has had such an amazing career for so long. The gossipy side of me wonders if Regis is sick? I know, that’s a bad thought to put out there, but I’ve been wondering.

Regis Philbin is getting ready to walk off into the sunset. The TV veteran, 79, is leaving Live! With Regis and Kelly this year, he announced on Tuesday’s show. “This will be my last year on the show,” the star said. “It’s been a long time. It’s been 28 years. It’s been an enormous thrill.”

Explaining that it wasn’t an easy decision to make, he added philosophically: “Everything must come to an end..especially with certain old people.”

His exact final date — or who might replace him alongside Kelly Ripa — are yet to be determined. “This is gonna happen sometime the end of the summer — we’ll have a lot of fun between now and then!”

Choking up, his cohost Ripa said, “I can only speak for America and all of us here: It has been a pleasure and a privilege and a dream come true and I wish I could do something to change your mind!”

[From Us Weekly]

I know Regis and Kelly probably get along really well in real life, but they always annoyed me as cohosts. Kelly is so rude! She’s always talking over him and interrupting him. If I was Regis, I would have given her a smack long ago. So let’s start that rumor: Regis is leaving because he’s finding it impossible to resist the urge to smack the hell out of Kelly. That’s what I heard!

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Three weeks ago, we ran a story that originated in the National Enquirer that claimed that Regis Philbin was not providing assistance to his disabled son and daughter-in-law, who were reduced to borrowing money from friends in order to buy groceries. Danny Philbin is Regis’ son from his first marriage, and is bound to a wheelchair due to a spinal cord birth defect and an amputation made necessary by his condition. Danny is college educated and used to hold a job at the Pentagon, but had to move to California and give up his job after his mother in law was injured in Hurricane Katrina and needed a drier climate. He gets by making handcrafts like light switch covers and selling them at craft fairs, but it costs money to rent booths that he can no longer afford.

We had a lively discussion on that Regis thread when a man claiming to be Danny chimed in and talked about how his relationship with dad Regis is strained. Given the commenter’s tone, the information he shared, and the fact that his IP address was from the exact area that the Enquirer said he lived, I believe it was Danny Philbin. Danny said that he and his wife didn’t approach the Enquirer to sell their story and that the Enquirer contacted them after seeing a local story about it. He also said that while his father will give him money occasionally, he doesn’t like to go to him as their relationship is strained:

this Enquierer thing grew out of an article in my local paper about wheelchair inaccessibility where I was trying to get employed by an “Equal Opportunity Employer.” The Enquirer got hold of the story, called us, and we told the truth. My father helps me, but it hurts me to ask him for more when Ineed it.. I cannot handle his demeanor when asking for some extra help. We asked not out of “want,” but “need.” Think of me what you will; my wife and I have to have, at least, our medications. Oh, neither the TV stations, or anyone else, wants to piss Regis off. They haven’t called me and I will not put more strain on the relationship btwn me and my father. He does and has done plenty for me, all I asked for was some extra help.

[Comment on Celebitchy from guy claiming to be Danny Philbin, IP address makes this seem likely]

According to the latest edition of the National Enquirer, Regis has helped Danny out. Danny’s wife, Judy, claims that Regis and his wife Joy contacted them after reading the article. Regis supposedly wasn’t aware of Danny’s difficult circumstances and of course the multi-millionaire takes care of his own:

After seeing the Enquirer article, Regis promised to take care of the couple’s mounting financial problems, Judy says.

“That God, Regis and Danny have reconciled,” said Judy Philbin. “The story in the Enquirer about our difficulties made all the difference.

“Regis and his wife Joy read about our desperate situation and reached out to us.

“Regis said, ‘I had no idea things were so bad until I read The Enquirer story.

“‘Danny knows I love him. Why didn’t he just call me?’

“All I could tell Regis is that Danny felt so angry and upset about his job situation and the difficulties in his life that he found it hard to communicate with is father. Danny felt hurt and angry, and blamed some of it on his dad.

“But now – knowing Regis loves him and stands behind him – Danny is feeling much better.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, January 26, 2008]

The guy claiming to be Danny who commented here was pretty abrasive and got defensive and personal with some commenters, which made it seem even more likely that it was really him. He said after working for government there was no way he would apply for disability or supplemental security income as he didn’t want a handout. It looks like his dad has stepped in to help him out at a time when he really needed it. A lot of families have long standing feuds and it’s hard to judge from the outside what’s going on. Many commenters vilified Regis for not supporting his son, but there’s probably a lot more going on in that relationship that we don’t know about.

Regis and Joy Philbin are shown at the National Board of Review on 1/14/09. He is also shown below on 11/5/08. Credit: PRPhotos

Talk show host Regis Philbin has a disabled son, Danny, who is unemployed and trying to make ends meet by selling handcrafts. Danny is from Regis’ first marriage. He was born with a spinal cord defect and grew up at Angel View Crippled Children’s Foundation in California. He is now wheelchair bound after undergoing a double amputation made necessary by his condition. Regis also has daughter Amy with his first wife, and daughters Joanna and Jennifer with his second wife, Joy.

Danny Philbin has a college degree from California State University and used to hold a position at the Pentagon. He has been out of work for three years now and is struggling to get by in Cathedral City, California. Danny’s wife spoke to the National Enquirer, and said that her husband is too proud to ask his wealthy dad for help at all, even though they’re so broke they have to resort to borrowing money for groceries.

“Our finances have gotten so bad we had to file for debt consolidation, and we barely have enough money to eat. Sometimes we have to borrow money from friends to buy food!” Judy [Philbin] told The Enquirer.

“To make ends meet, Danny has taken odd jobs. He worked for a while at a bookstore and more recently, he’s been working 12-hour days making decorated light switch covers to sell at weekend craft fairs.

“But at this point, we don’t even have enough money to pay the $70 fee for a booth at a craft fair!”

Judy is appealing to her famous father-in-law through The Enquirer because she says: “Danny is too afraid to ask his father for help.”

In our Dec. 15 issue, we reported the disabled 43-year-old was selling craft items to help pay medical bills, while his wife was doing in-home health care in Cathedral City, Calif.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, January 5, 2008]

What’s more is that like many families their debt problems were worsened when Judy lost her job and her health insurance, resulting in high medical expenses.

Judy says her husband is “hurting emotionally, but he just won’t open up to his father.” She also says he’s in a lot of pain and his condition is getting worse.

We don’t know their situation beyond this brief story so it doesn’t seem fair to judge Regis for not supporting his son. It’s possible that Regis has no idea that his son is broke without health insurance. From what Judy is saying, Danny is just too stubborn and proud to ask for Regis’ help at all. Family relationships are complicated and maybe Regis and Danny had a falling out at some point and don’t speak. There’s probably much more going on than we’re hearing and it’s possible Regis loaned Danny money in the past and there are hard feelings. It’s sounds like Danny and his wife are really struggling though and maybe Regis will try to help them after this story gets out.

The latest National Enquirer, with Marc Anthony’s supposed reunion with his ex-wife on the cover, has photos of Danny and his wife.

Update: Regis’ son has commented on this article, below. While we cannot verify that it is the same person, the IP address does come from the same area that the National Enquirer says he lives and the content of the comments make them seem genuine. He says we do not know his situation at all and that it is unfair to pass judgment. A lot of people are facing hard times and we hope this works out ok for him.

Regis Philbin is shown at the Academy Awards on 2/22/08. Credit: PRPhotos

Dignity really is taking a serious hit on television today. Either that or the nose is finally having it’s shining moment of glory. This morning on Live with Regis and Kelly, the pair did a segment on sinuses and what you can do to manage them during allergy season. They had sinus expert Dr. Jordan S. Josephson, author of “Sinus Relief Now,” on the show to teach them how to irrigate their nasal passages. Both Regis and Kelly tried to neti (which I long ago made a verb) their noses, flushing out their sinuses for the entire audience to see. It really was a thing of beauty.

I’m a huge fan of the neti, and do it when I brush my teeth… and about 4 other times a day. Though I’ve moved up in the world, and now have that fancy, Waterpik-looking device you see at the beginning of the segment. It has a really loud motor that my roommates just love.

In keeping with today’s nose them, Regis and Kelly also decided to blow up balloons with their nostrils. At first I was confused, as I thought this was somehow related to sinuses. Turns out, Andrew Dahl I, a 13-year-old boy from Blaine, Washington , blew up 213 balloons in an hour this past Friday in the Blaine’s public library. I guess he wasn’t aware that most people go there to read. Dahl is claiming the world record, and is waiting to hear back from Guinness. I guess Regis and Kelly were trying to honor him – though Kelly clearly did a better job.