The current Live! hosts Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest had a beautiful heart to heart about their late friend, iconic Live! host Regis Philbin. The two supported each other and became emotional when remembering the amazing and unforgettable Regis Philbin.
Kelly Ripa Pays Emotional Tribute To Late Co-host Regis Philbin
On the latest episode of Live With Kelly and Ryan, the two bared their hearts on their sleeves when remembering their good friend and former co-host Regis Philbin. Ryan Seacrest started off comforting his pal Kelly Ripa saying "It's been a difficult and emotional day for all of us at Live. Kelly, I know a tough weekend for you especially because you worked with our dear friend, a friend who passed away over the weekend, Regis Philbin."
Doing her best to keep her composure but still teary-eyed, Kelly said she felt grateful that she was with her whole family when she heard the news. She expressed that she and her husband Mark Consuelos were able to raise their kids on the set of Live! With Regis and Kelly for the 11 years that the two were paired together.
With her voice breaking Kelly admitted, "As people get older, you always know that certain things are inevitable, and passing away is one of those things, but Regis is one of the people that we all believed would somehow figure out a way around the inevitable." She spoke about what a blessing it was to have Regis as her "funny dad" saying "My dad is funny, not Regis funny, but he's funny. Having a funny dad makes you funny. It just makes you funny. It makes you appreciate the ludicrous side of things. So I immediately thought of them [his wife and daughters] and what it must feel like to somehow he couldn't find a way to live forever that we all assumed or thought he would, or should or somehow, God would give a special ticket for him."
Kelly and Regis had the most amazing connection and chemistry that made everyone want to tune in every morning to start the day off with a laugh for 11 years. Regis Philbin retired in 2011 and lived a beautiful life in retirement until his passing of natural causes on July 24, 2020, at age 88.
Regis has left an amazing legacy behind and will be greatly missed by his loved ones and all of us who watched and felt as if we knew him.
