Regis Philbin's family ethnicity includes an Irish father and Italian mother. Co-host Kelly Ripa's family ethnicity includes an Italian father and Irish mother.
After departing from Good Morning America (1975), Kathie Lee Gifford met Regis Philbin on a morning talk show on WABC-TV, where ratings were higher, and the show had to be retooled, before selling it to Buena Vista Television, for syndication. They both got the job.
Before Kathie Lee Gifford married Frank Gifford, and working with Regis Philbin on this show, both Regis Philbin met Frank Gifford, when they were both at Notre Dame University, where Philbin was a student, at that time and Frank Gifford, was a football player, coming from Bakersfield, California, whilst attending the University of Southern California (USC).