NEW YORK — Regis Philbin is calling it a career.
The beloved television personality has announced plans to leave Live! with Regis and Kelly, a revelation he made at the start of Tuesday's show.
"This will be my last year on the show," said Philbin, who joked that he didn't "want to alarm anybody."
Philbin, who turns 80 in August, then reflected on his storied past.
"It's been a long time, it's been 28 years since I've been here," he said. "It was the biggest thrill of my life to come back to New York, where I grew up as a kid watching TV in the early days, you know, never even dreaming that I would one day have the ability, or whatever it takes, to get in front of the camera and talk to it."
He then cracked, "Everything must come to an end for certain people on camera — especially certain old people!"
"I think I can only speak for America, and all of us here, when I say it has been a pleasure and a privilege and a dream come true [working with you]," said co-host Kelly Ripa, who joined Philbin full-time in 2001. "And I wish I could do something to change your mind."
Philbin didn't reveal his exact departure date, but said he'd be leaving the show around the end of summer.
"We'll have a lot of fun between now and then," he assured viewers.
ABC said the show will continue, with a new co-host being named to join Ripa.
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