The Emmy-winning TV writer reflected on the late legendary morning show host.

Parks and Recreation creator Mike Schur remembers father-in-law Regis Philbin: ‘The same off camera as he was on’

The Emmy-winning TV writer reflected on the late legendary morning show host.

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

EW's editorial guidelines

June 15, 2026 4:01 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Regis Philbin; Mike Schur. Credit:

Rob Kim/Getty; JC Olivera/Variety via Getty

- *The Good Place* creator reflected on his late father-in-law, Regis Philbin.

- Schur has been married to Philbin's daughter, J.J., since 2005.

- Philbin was "exactly the same off camera as he was on camera," according to Schur.

For *Parks and Recreation* co-creator Mike Schur, he was always in a good place when with his late father-in-law, Regis Philbin.

Six years after the death of the legendary talk show host, Schur reflected on the dad of his wife, J.J. Philbin.

“He was exactly the grandfather you would imagine, which is to say delighted to have grandkids, incredibly funny and attentive and sweet with them,” Schur said on *Nostalgia Tonight With Joe Sibilia*. “The thing I always say about him is he was exactly the same off camera as he was on camera. There was literally not an ounce of difference in the man. What you saw was what you got with him, which was what you wanted out of him.”

Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa on 'Live With Regis and Kelly'.

Robin Marchant/FilmMagic/Getty

Beginning in 1988, Philbin was a daily fixture on television, cohosting *Live With Regis and Kathie Lee Gifford* until 2000, when Kelly Ripa replaced Gifford. Philbin eventually retired from the show in 2011.

“Because he was in people's homes for an hour every single day, just talking about going to the dry cleaners or parking his car or eating out at a restaurant in New York or whatever, people believed deep in their souls that he was their close friend," Schur said of Philbin. “He never disabused them of that notion, which I always thought was such a wonderful and human thing to do. I never once saw him say, ‘I don't have time for you,’ or, ‘I'm sorry, I'm with my family,’ or whatever and blow people off.”

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter***,

Kelly Ripa, Kathie Lee Gifford, more stars pay tribute to Regis Philbin: 'There will never be another'

'The Office': Revisiting season 2's ill-fated Secret Santa

Schur married J.J. Philbin in 2005, and the couple share two children. Schur boasts one of the best comedy résumés of the 21st century, having created or co-created *Parks and Recreation*, *Brooklyn Nine-Nine*, and *The Good Place*. J.J. Philbin followed in her father's TV footsteps and has written episodes of *The O.C.* and *Only Murders in the Building*.

Before Philbin died in 2020 at the age of 88, he'd set the Guinness World Record for the most hours spent on U.S. television, between his memorable gigs on *Live* and *Who Wants to Be a Millionaire*.

"You want to see a career no one will ever duplicate? Here it is," Schur said of Philbin upon his passing. "Regis hated 'memory lane,' so I hope he forgives me for this one last trip. No one will ever be what he was, in the medium he dedicated his life to. What a run."

- Celebrities & Creators

- Celebrity Friends and Family

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Celebrity”