The mornings will never be the same.
Regis Philbin revealed on Live With Regis and Kelly Tuesday morning that Nov. 18 will officially be his last day cohosting his popular syndicated gabfest after 28 years of hamming it up on the air.
"Friday, November 18 is my last day," the 80-year-old host told viewers. "But don't worry, the show goes on."
Come on, Reeg, is that really your final answer?
As it turns out, he couldn't have picked a better day. The last hurrah will be smack in the middle of fall sweeps, ensuring a big boost in the ratings.
Of course, leave it to Philbin to make light of his pending retirement (from being on-camera at any rate).
"Last January I made the announcement that I'll be moving on, but I never gave you an exact date. So I'm pushing it back five years. Just kidding," joked the TV icon.
Philbin and cohost Kelly Ripa confirmed that Live plans to conduct a search for his replacement with a number of guests filling in until producers find the best combination.
"Kelly will be trying out new cohosts, just like we did 11 years ago, when we found her," Regis added regarding his current partner, who took over for Kathie Lee Gifford following her departure in July, 2000.
Philbin, who has also appeared as an actor, David Letterman's favorite go-to guest and spawned a national catchphrase ("Is that your final answer?") as the host of the ABC game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, couldn't help but crack that Ripa would be looking for a "new, young, hot" male cohost to take his place.
To which Ripa good naturedly shot back, "Alive and breathing is what we're talking about."
Live With Regis and Kelly kicked off its new season today with a special look back at all of the show's "favorite moments" during Philbin's tenure, which has garnered the Emmy winner the Guinness World Record for Most Hours on Camera.