There's no denying that Regis Philbin has cemented a spot in television history...thanks
to his long-running hosting gigs on Live! and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
But now that Regis is retired, he's been spending a whole lot of time with his wife, Joy Philbin.
The couple has been married for 50 years, yes, 5-oh, and their bond is still as strong
as ever.
In a 2011 interview with Parade, the couple was asked about the key to a long, successful
marriage.
Regis jokingly asked,
"What is the secret, Joy?
My fear of you?"
Joy, on the other hand, gave a much more sentimental answer, explaining,
"There's just something about Regis.
There’s always something new on the horizon and it keeps our lives active and fun.
I’d rather be with Regis than any other person in the world."
Of course, Joy is so much more than Regis' wife... so let's jump right in and learn some
more about her.
"She had no qualms asking you the most personal questions."
"What did my mother ever ask you?"
"I can't, I'm not gonna divulge now."
In case you didn't know, Regis isn't the only Philbin who's become a highly sought-after
TV personality.
Joy has made plenty of film and TV appearances of her own: She played herself in Miss Congeniality
2 and appeared in an episode of Mad About You, to name just a few feathers in her cap.
She's also popped up on Rachael Ray and The Late Show With David Letterman…but there's
one thing she won't ever do, and that's Reality TV.
When Parade asked her about that particular genre, she responded,
"Where you get up in the morning and they're in your kitchen waiting for you?
I can tell you that's not going to happen!"
Too bad...because that's one show we'd love to watch: Joy and Regis Philbin have two children
together, Joanna and J.J…and Joy happens to be the mother-in-law of another big name
in television: Michael Schur married the Philbins' daughter J.J. in 2005.
As you probably know, Schur helped create three of the most popular comedies in recent
memory: The Good Place, Parks and Recreation, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
He also worked on The Office and Master of None.
The Philbins' daughters also have made names for themselves beyond their parents.
Joanna is an author of books like The Daughters and Rules of Summer, while J.J. has written
on TV shows like The O.C.
She also served as a producer on Single Parents, Heroes, and New Girl.
Sounds like talent really runs in the family, huh?
One of the Philbins' biggest hobbies is also playing tennis together, which keeps things...interesting.
Joy Philbin told Parade,
"If we win at tennis, then we're totally in love for the rest of the day, but it can really
trigger an ugly evening if one of us isn't playing well."
Regis jokingly chimed in,
"We're not as bad as we used to be.
It used to destroy an evening dinner if we played poorly, and one of us of course played
poorly a lot of times."
Regis and Joy also like to hang out in the studio, the music studio, that is.
Back in 2009, they recorded an album of classic standards titled Regis and Joy: Just You.
Just Me, and they've performed together multiple times.
Joy told the CT Post,
"Regis has lived a long life and has lots of funny tales to tell.
I join him midway and we sing together."
Sounds totally magical, no?
And now that Regis isn't spending his every waking moment hosting a TV show, he's got
lots of free time to spend with the people he loves most.
In October 2017, Regis told AJC.com,
"Since I retired, it has been relaxing to have the freedom to do what I want every day
and travel with Joy.
We love going to California to be with our kids and grandkids."
Believe it or not, March 1st, 2020 marked the couple's 50th anniversary, and it sounds
like their relationship is as strong as ever.
An insider, who for some reason chose to remain anonymous, told Closer Weekly in January 2020,
"Regis worships the ground Joy walks on.
They truly are best friends...It's one of Hollywood's longest lasting marriages and
a true love story."
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