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There's only one Regis Philbin -- but now that he's retiring from his beloved ABC morning show, somebody has got to take his place! After Philbin, 79, announced on Tuesday that he was leaving Live! with Regis and Kelly, the network said that they would announce a replacement within the next few months. So who will get to take Reeg's seat next to Kelly Ripa? The most obvious candidate is the show's go-to guest host, Anderson Cooper. Cooper is a very funny guy when he steps away from his CNN desk, he's a pro at celeb interviews, and he has a fun, flirty rapport with Ripa. (He's not bad to look at, either.) However, Cooper has his own daytime talk show in the works, and it's doubtful that he can do both. Another popular guest host with a similar vibe, Dr. Drew Pinksy, is also developing a daytime talk show of his own.
So which stars are still in the running for co-host? Here 's our take on a few of the names being batted around:
Kathy Griffin - She's always hilarious and almost certainly available -- but is trash-talking Griffin too controversial for daytime?
Tim Gunn - We've never seen Gunn out of a suit, so we have trouble picturing him doing fitness or Halloween segments. Still, he's so lovable, we're sure he could -- ahem -- make it work.
Mark Consuelos - The good: he's Kelly Ripa's husband. The bad: he's Kelly Ripa's husband. They're cute together, but how much talk about their home life can we take?
Neil Patrick Harris - He's guest-hosted before with great success. In fact, NPH seems to be great at everything -- and that may be the sticking point, as the singer/actor/magician/new dad is already stretched pretty thin.
Cookie Monster - Okay, we made this one up. But seriously, how fun is it when one of the Sesame Street Muppets turns up on a morning talk show? Wouldn't it be even more fun if it happened every day? Not to mention, everybody loves Cookie Monster (unlike the more polarizing Elmo). That eating-everything-in-sight joke never gets old.
So we're thinking that Neil Patrick Harris will be approached first -- unless ABC takes us by surprise and hires a female co-host! Ripa herself replaced Kathie Lee Gifford, Regis's co-host of 15 years, in 2000. Is it time for another lady to move in?
Who do you think should replace Regis Philbin? Chime in below!
