‘Parks and Rec’ Creator Shares ‘Favorite’ Memory of Late In-Law Regis Philbin

Next month will mark six years since the death of Regis Philbin, and his son-in-law, Michael Schur, is continuing to keep his memory alive.

The Parks and Recreation creator opened up about his late father-in-law on the Monday, June 15, episode of the Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia podcast. When asked what the legendary TV talk show host was like as a grandfather, Schur shared, “He was exactly the grandfather you would imagine, which is to say [he was] delighted to have grandkids. [He was] incredibly funny and attentive and sweet with them. He passed away before they got too old, but he was a great grandfather.”

He continued, “The thing I always say about him, 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 shares two kids with Philbin’s youngest daughter, J.J., whom he wed in 2005. Philbin shared daughters J.J. and Joanna with his wife, Joy, as well as his elder two children, Amy and Daniel, with his ex-wife, Catherine Faylen.

Podcast host Joe Sibilia went on to ask Schur to share one of his “favorite” memories of Philbin. Schur chose to share one he wrote about in his new book, Big Fan: Two Friends, 82,490 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love, which he co-wrote with sports writer Joe Posnanski.

Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa on ‘Live With Regis and Kelly’

Maria Melin / ABC / Courtesy: Everett Collection

“We once stopped at a gas station, he was driving us into the city, and a woman came up and said, ‘Oh, Regis, it’s so great that I’m running into you.’ And he goes, ‘Oh, hi, how are you?’ And she says, ‘My son just got into Fordham.’ And he goes, ‘Oh, great school.’ And she goes, ‘Yeah. You know, he’s not sure if he wants to go, and blah, blah, blah,’” he stated. “And they have this whole conversation about her son and whatever. And she walks away, and I said, ‘Who was that?’ And he goes, ‘Oh, I have no idea.’ It was just a fan who saw him, and because of who he was and how he presented himself on TV, they started talking to him like they were friends. And he understood the assignment, as they say, and just talked back to her like she was right.”

Schur noted that similar situations would happen to Philbin all the time. “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 believe deep in their souls that he was their close friend,” he shared. “They saw him every day. They talked to him every single day. And 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, like, ‘I don’t have time for you,’ or, ‘I’m sorry. I’m with my family,’ or whatever and blow people off. He just didn’t do it because he knew the role that he played in people’s lives.”

‘Live’ Controversies: Regis Philbin, Kathie Lee Gifford, Kelly Ripa & More

Philbin famously hosted the daytime talk show Live for nearly 30 years with co-hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Kelly Ripa. Among his many memorable shows, Philbin also hosted the original Who Wants to Be a Millionaire from 1999 to 2002. Philbin died at the age of 88 in July 2020.

Schur has built his own impressive TV career, having cocreated memorable series such as Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place, Rutherford Falls, and A Man on the Inside, as well as writing and producing on hits such as The Office, Master of None, Saturday Night Live, The Comeback, and Hacks.