Kathie Lee Gifford Reveals the Emotional Conversation She Had With Regis Philbin's Wife After His Passing

Kathie Lee Gifford is opening up about the heartbreaking conversation she had with Regis Philbin's wife, Joy Philbin, after the beloved television icon passed away.

During the Tuesday, July 14, episode of "Hang Out with Sean Hannity," the podcast host mentioned that Donald Trump once told him ABC had decided to "cut" Regis' salary later in his career.

“He was ABC, you know. He changed the whole landscape of daytime television,” Sean Hannity said.

Kathie agreed, explaining that Regis struggled after leaving Live in 2011.

Kathie then chimed in, saying that Regis “was very hurt” and “declined” after he left ABC's morning talk show Live in 2011.

“It was hard for him, and then COVID hit; he couldn't go out,” the former Today show host said, adding that Regis also took the loss of his close friend Don Rickles in 2017 especially hard.

“Both of those men just lived for an audience,” Kathie said of Don and Regis.

Kathie and Regis cohosted the hugely successful daytime talk show Live with Regis and Kathie Lee for 15 years, from 1985 to 2000. Their unscripted chemistry helped redefine daytime television and made them one of TV's most beloved duos.

The conversation turned emotional after Hannity commented, “You really like Regis.”

Kathie's voice cracked as she replied, “I adored him, I still do. I talk to him all the time. I led him to the Lord before he passed.”

She then shared the moment she learned that her longtime friend had died.

“I got off the plane, and somebody had left a message for me that said, ‘I'm so sorry about your friend,’ so I immediately went to my house, put my bag, and then got in my car and. And went to see his wife and two daughters,” Kathie recounted.

She also remembered Joy asking her a deeply personal question about her late husband.

Kathie recalled that Joy asked whether she believed Regis “is in heaven.”

As OK! previously reported, Regis died in 2020 from “myocardial infarction due to coronary artery disease and hypertension.”

Kathie also reflected on one of her final visits with the television legend and his family in Connecticut.

“We just had the best time, and after they left, I just thought to myself, 'Lord, is that the last time I'm going to see my friend?' Because he was failing, I could tell. It was so precious because when I talked to Joy the day that I found out right after he had passed, she said, 'Kathie, he hadn't laughed in a long, long time.' She said, 'I was so worried about him,” she said.

Kathie also looked back on the last private moments she shared with Regis.

The longtime friends enjoyed lunch at Regis' Tennessee home just two weeks before his passing. Joy, Regis' wife of 50 years, was also there as they shared one of their favorite meals, frutti di mare and spent the afternoon laughing together.

“We just have the best time,” she said. “When they left I said to myself, ‘Lord, is that the last time I am going to see my friend?’"

Later, Joy told Kathie that the lunch had been the first time Regis had laughed in a long time, making the memory even more meaningful.