Regis Philbin to Take Leave of Absence from 'Live With Regis and Kelly': Who Should Fill In?

'Live with Regis and Kelly' is about to become 'Live With Kelly' for the time being, as Regis Philbin announced today that he is taking a leave of absence from the show.

As reported by Entertainment Tonight, Philbin made the announcement during today's episode of 'Live' and indicated that he will begin his hiatus on December 1 in order to recover from upcoming hip surgery. Philbin, who is 78 years old, injured his hip several months ago when he fell on the set of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' while taping a prime time special.'Live with Regis and Kelly' is about to become 'Live With Kelly' for the time being, as Regis Philbin announced today that he is taking a leave of absence from the show.

As reported by Entertainment Tonight, Philbin made the announcement during today's episode of 'Live' and indicated that he will begin his hiatus on December 1 in order to recover from upcoming hip surgery. Philbin, who is 78 years old, injured his hip several months ago when he fell on the set of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' while taping a prime time special.

At present, the leave of absence is expected to last for one month, with Philbin planning to return at the start of the new year. This isn't the first time Philbin has had to miss time due to health concerns; in 2006, the long-time television host left the show for six weeks while recuperating from open heart surgery.

As much as we love co-host Kelly Ripa, the show just isn't the same without Regis. In order to help her out over the next few weeks, then, we thought we would give her some helpful suggestions for possible co-hosts to fill in during his absence:

Anderson Cooper
Cooper not only has plenty of experience hosting talk shows of all kinds thanks to his time on CNN, he also has filled in for Regis before, making him the perfect choice for guest host. Better yet: He shares natural on-screen chemistry with Kelly, as seen below:


David Letterman
Back when Letterman underwent open heart surgery in 2000, Regis filled in as guest host on 'The Late Show with David Letterman'. It would only be fitting, therefore, for Letterman to return the favor and sub in for Regis.

Jon Stewart
Stewart may now be best known for his acclaimed comdey work on 'The Daily Show', but he started off as a talk show host himself, back with MTV's 'The Jon Stewart Show' in 1993. Not only would this give Stewart a chance to return to his roots, we'd also love to see the interaction between Jon and Kelly. Now that would be comedy gold.

John O 'Hurley
O'Hurley can be seen charming viewers every day as host of 'The Family Feud'. He reminds us of a young Regis, which only makes sense considering Philbin's own long career as a game show host. So who knows? Perhaps if he gets a shot, O'Hurley will turn out to be the next Regis himself.

Craig Feguson
Ferguson has been lighting up the airwaves after hours with his 12:35AM series 'The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'. But who can stay up that late to watch him? We think a talent like Ferguson should have the chance to bring his talent to a new type of audience: an awake one.