Television icon Regis Philbin passed away in 2020, but he is fondly remembered by his family and fans alike. In a recent interview, his son-in-law, TV writer Michael Schur, described his favorite memories of Philbin.
Regis Philbin’s Son-In-Law Absolutely Adored Him
Legendary comedy writer Michael Schur is married to J. J. Philbin, the daughter of Regis and Joy Philbin. They have two children together, a son and a daughter. According to Schur, he couldn’t have asked for a better grandfather for his kids.
Getty“He was exactly the grandfather you would imagine, which is to say delighted to have grandkids, incredibly funny and attentive and sweet with them,” the comedy writer shared on “Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia,” as reported by Entertainment Weekly. “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.”
Schur added that many people felt like they truly knew Regis Philbin.
“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,” “The Good Place” creator continued.
“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,” he said of his late father-in-law.
Michael Schur Details a Hilarious Story From His Wife’s Childhood
Michael Schur didn’t meet Regis Philbin until his adulthood, but he has heard plenty of hilarious stories from his wife, J.J. One story involved Philbin’s love for McDonald’s.
“So he did an ad for McDonald’s sometime in like, the early 90s. And as part of the thanks for this, he was given a gold-colored credit card thing that said, ‘This card entitles Regis Philbin to free McDonald’s for life.’ He loved this,” Michael Schur shared on the Dan Le Batard Show.
Schur went on to tell a story about when J. J. was a little girl, her father would love using the card to order Big Macs on road trips. Of course, the situation often confused the cashier, who was bewildered to see an A-lister like Regis Philbin trying to order free burgers at a random McDonald’s. Apparently, the card never actually worked because the restaurant workers had never seen a gold card like that and had no way to verify its legitimacy.
“I like to believe that the card itself was more of a symbolic gesture,” Schur continued. “He was just like, ‘No this is great! I get free McDonald’s!’ But no one ever informed the thousands of employees.”
Beloved television host Regis Philbin passed away from heart disease on July 25, 2020, in Connecticut. His family misses him every day, but enjoys keeping his memory alive through stories.
