Regis Philbin expected to receive a slew of high-profile TV offers last year after he left his very successful live show, "Live! With Regis and Kelly," which he had helmed since 1983. When the offers didn’t come flooding in, Philbin found himself missing being on TV more and more, according to sources.
“TV is in his blood," one TV executive told me. "This is where he feels most alive and happy -- being in front of a camera. But the TV landscape has changed so much from the last time Regis was looking for a job. Now they want Kardashians and Housewives.”
Regis holds a Guinness world record for having racked up the most hours on U.S. television, with a total of more than 16,746 hours spent in front of the camera during his long career -- a number that Regis wants to increase.
“Joining Kathie Lee on the 'Today' show last week while Hoda [Kotb] was away, you could see just how much he missed it,” a friend of Philbin told me.
“He would love to be back with Kathie Lee, but Hoda is so brilliant at that job that she is not going anywhere," the friend added. "You would think at 80 years old, Regis would want to retire but he loves working and is desperate to return to TV.”
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