Regis Philbin Gets New Talk Show


Regis Philbin will host the new daily talk show Rush Hour on Fox Sports 1.

The 81-year-old TV veteran made the announcement during his appearance on The View. Philbin said doing a talk show centered around sports is something he’d always wanted to try.

According to The Washington Post, Philbin teased the new show to Barbara Walters and company prior to revealing the details about the new gig.

Regis said:

“Fox is starting a sports channel. Everybody’s starting a sports channel now, you know? We’re nothing but 24 hours of sports. ESPN has been dynamite, you know, so everybody — NBC, CBS — everybody’s going to have their own sports channel.”

The New York Daily News explains that Fox Sports 1 will launch this August. The network will reportedly feature a mix of sports, including MLB games, UFC fights, NFL games, NASCAR, soccer, and college basketball.

Although Regis Philbin is 81 years old, Fox Sports’ Eric Shanks isn’t too concerned that the host will have a negative effect on its demographic. As Shanks explained, “Regis appeals to everyone.”

The Fox Sports head added:

“I honestly think that when this show gets on the air, people will say, `Why didn’t this happen before?'”

According to The New York Times, Philbin didn’t have a new show in mind when he met up with the folks at Fox Sports. However, he was soon swayed into returning to television after having a conversation with Shanks about Rush Hour.

Regis explained:

“I never in a million years expected to be thought of as a sportscaster. We originally talked about a once-a-month special, but then it came to this. I didn’t even realize they were starting a network until they called me.”

Fox Sports 1 will reportedly launch on August 17. Shanks said Philbin’s new show will run between 5 and 6 pm EST, which puts it in direct competition with ESPN’s Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption.

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