Regis Philbin Replacement: Who Will Fill His Seat?

Who will fill Regis Philbin’s seat on ABC’s Live! with Regis & Kelly?

Here are 10 names making the industry rounds as potential pairings for Kelly Ripa. Some of these celebrities been previously reported and others are new. At least a couple, we’re told, are non-starters. ABC, unfortunately, has no comment. Here’s what we think:

– Ryan Seacrest: You can’t have a major talk show vacancy without his name coming up. He could clearly handle the job. The trick (as is the case with several names below) is working around his existing deals.

– Jeff Probst: The Survivor host is a superb interviewer, he has co-hosted the show in the past, and his contract is up this year.

– Mario Lopez: Another former Live! co-host. We’re told he’s potentially a popular contender, but that his deal with Extra may hold things up.

– Chris Harrison: The Bachelor host is already in the ABC family. If he can handle crazed bachelorettes, surely he can work with sweet Kelly, right?

– Mark Consuelos: Yup, Kelly’s husband. He’s an actor and reality show host. We’re hearing he’s an unlikely choice.

– Chris Cuomo: The 20/20 host is another ABC insider.

– Anderson Cooper: Woulda-coulda-shoulda. He’s busy trying to get his own daytime talk show off the ground.

– Billy Bush: Like Lopez, there’s an entertainment news program deal to work around — this time, with Access Hollywood.

– Neil Patrick Harris: Considered a fantastic substitute co-host on the show. But would he want the gig?

– Mike Rowe: Now this is an interesting name. The Dirty Jobs host and Deadliest Catch narrator has a ton of female fans. Could this blue collar man’s man pull off the celebrity bantering and hamming it up with Kelly? Why, this could be his toughest job yet.

Bonus: Here’s some names floated by other publications: Nick Jonas, Bryant Gumbel, Glenn Beck, Tom Bergeron, and Larry King.

And, yes, all those who are supposedly being considered are men (though one publication did mention Jane Lynch).

Keep in mind that when Kathie Lee Gifford left Live, similar lists circulated the media as producers began to reach out to prospective talent. And you know who wasn’t named on any of those lists? Kelly Ripa.

Regis Philbin Is Leaving Live!

So long, Regis.

After 28 years and three different co-hosts, Regis Philbin says this will be his last season on his morning talk show – the program currently known as Live! with Regis and Kelly.

"It's been a long time, it's been 28 years since I've been here. And it was the biggest thrill of my life," Philbin, who will turn 80 in August, said on the program Tuesday morning.

He added jokingly: "Everything must come to an end for certain people on camera, especially certain old people."

Philbin's program began in 1983 as The Morning Show, a local New York City broadcast which he co-hosted with Cyndy Garvey. Kathie Lee Gifford replaced Garvey in 1985, and the show, renamed Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee, went national in 1988.

Gifford left in 2000, and the show became Live with Regis for a season. It was renamed in 2001, when current co-host Kelly Ripa joined full-time.

"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]," Ripa told Philbin on Tuesday. "And I wish I could do something to change your mind."

Sure, Regis Philbin is irreplaceable. But for the sake of argument, who could potentially fill his shoes when he retires from Live! with Regis and Kelly at the end of this season?

Mark Consuelos and Jeff Probst are possibilities. Both have guest-hosted in Philbin's absence, and Consuelos would have an easy time lobbying for the job – as he's married to current co-host Kelly Ripa.

Some other fun choices: comedian Kathy Griffin, who energizes any talk show she's on; Project Runway's Tim Gunn, who's a friend of the show; and Nick Cannon, who currently hosts his own morning radio program in New York City.

Paparazzi!: Hot & Cool

"Cool parents" Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos make a perfect pair Monday night at the 10th Annual Trevor New York Summer Gala in Manhattan.

Kelly Ripa:My Husband Pays Me to Keep My Clothes On

Kelly Ripa advised one couple on NBC's The Marriage Ref to get a stripper pole. But Ripa herself needs no such encouragement to spice things up at home – in fact, quite the opposite.

"He actually pays me money to keep my clothes on!" Ripa, 39, joked of husband Mark Consuelos at the Point Honors benefit on Monday night in New York, which she co-hosted with Bravo's Andy Cohen.

"I'm actually given money to put on a parka. 'Put your parka on! Here's another dollar. Put on that hat!' "

Consuelos doesn't agree – "Yeah, right," he says – but he isn't about to settle the argument, or any of their arguments, with a marriage ref of their own. "She always wins," he explains. "There's no use in having one!"

But as fearless as Ripa may be behind closed doors with her hubby, public speaking is a another animal.

"This is much scarier for me," the Live With Regis & Kelly co-host said of her duties at the gala, which honors lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender leaders. "I always say I feel like the live morning show is just my living room and I'm just having coffee. Being at these important events where it matters what I'm saying – it's to raise money, and you want to give people a good show but still get the message out there."

Kelly Ripa: "I Love Me Some Gay Men"

I have been a dear fan of Kelly Ripa since her days as Hayley Vaughan Santos on All My Children, and I love her even more after her recent interview with Brandon Voss for The Advocate, where she talks about her love for gay men. Here is a portion of the interview:

The Advocate: Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with The Advocate.
Kelly Ripa: Oh, please, it’s my pleasure. I’m a fan.

How did you become involved with the Point Foundation?
I literally got an e-mail from them saying, “We’d love to have you cohost the Point Honors benefit with your friend Andy Cohen.” I was like, “Are you serious?” Because I’m not good at that stuff. I know I host a talk show, but I get so nervous when I stand in front of people who didn’t line up specifically to come to our studio. I feel like you have to be funny at award shows, but Andy was like, “No, we’re going have fun!” And once I realized what’s at stake, I really wanted to get involved. I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t know anything about this cause, but it’s a worthy organization and I’m thrilled that they would even consider me.

The Point Foundation aids LGBT teens who’ve been cut off by their parents or left behind by the school system because of their sexual orientation. As a mother, does this particular cause strike a personal chord?
It most certainly does. Being a kid is hard enough when you do feel accepted and safe in your environment. A kid’s school is like their job, so home is a sanctuary where you can feel protected from anything that goes wrong during the day. Imagine if everybody at school made you feel like there’s something wrong with you, and then you came home for reassurance and your parents told you there’s something wrong with you too. I can’t imagine the alienation, isolation, and loneliness that would build in a person. There are so many smart, brilliant kids out there who aren’t going to get an education because their parents kick them out of the house.

Have you and your husband, Mark Consuelos, ever given any thought to how you’d personally respond to having a gay child?
Mark and I both feel fortunate that we’ve spent our entire adult lives in New York City, where we work, live, and play with some of the best and brightest gay and lesbian people in and outside of the industry — people I’m honored to call my friends and family. So we’ve never gone, “What would we do?” To us, our children are a gift, we’re lucky to have them, and they’re born how they’re born, so it wouldn’t even be a discussion in our house. And they go to a very progressive school with great examples of what all different families look like, so I’m very thankful.

When did you first become aware of your gay fan base?
When I read your request for this interview. [Laughs] I guess I don’t really think about it, but I love me some gay men — I’m not gonna lie. I love men in general, so if they’re gay, it’s just a bonus. I do feel the love from the gay community. When my son’s second-grade teacher went to a Halloween party downtown a few years ago, he said that there were a bunch of gay men there doing a dance called “The Kelly Ripa,” where they were just, like, model-walking and fanning each other. I was like, “Really? That’s incredible!”

You can read the entire interview at the Advocate.

And we cannot end this article without sharing with you a picture of her gorgeous husband, Mark Consuelos, from his early years as a "stripper".

Paparazzi!: Blond Ambition Twins

Kelly Ripa and Ugly Betty star Becki Newton practically pass for twins, sporting matching red lips, blonde locks and perfect poses in New York City on Wednesday. The two joked around about their similar looks on a taping of Live with Regis and Kelly that morning, then came outside for a photo op.