Regis Sets Jan. 4 Return

Talk show host back in the saddle next week after hip surgery

A potential national morning talk-show crises has officially been averted.

Regis Philbin will return as co-host of “Live! With Regis and Kelly” on Jan. 4, distributor Disney-ABC Domestic Television announced Wednesday.

Philbin set off a minor media panic last month, when he announced on his show that he was due to have hip surgery, while setting a return date for “sometime next year.”

The ambiguity of that timeline led some to speculate that Philbin’s health situation might be more dire. However, the Jan. 4 timeline coincides with the four-week recovery period Disney announced following the 78-year-old entertainer’s Dec. 1 surgery.

Slated guests for Philbin’s first week back include Amy Adams, Gabourey Sidibie, Tim Allen, and Capt. Chesley Sullenberger.

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