How I Got This Way

Regis Philbin has regaled television audiences with his stories for more than 50 years, but he's saved the most hilarious, surprising, heartfelt and inspiring tales for now. In what is essentially a memoir and a primer for living the good life all rolled into one, this beloved TV icon shares the secrets to success and happiness as he has learned them from his innumerable celebrity encounters, friendships and of course, from his relationship with his loving wife and family

Emmy Award-winning television star Regis Philbin has entertained millions of Americans every weekday morning for the past 28 years hosting, in various incarnations, the popular show Live! with Regis and Kelly. Referred to often as the "hardest working man in television," he has rubbed elbows and egos with countless personalities. His innate curiosity and wit has enabled him to learn great life lessons from the most legendary and formidable of them. Now in a most unique memoir Regis shares all that these experiences have taught him about achieving success and happiness--and about maintaining both for as long as he has! It is the ultimate gift to his fans as he departs the show in November of 2011, closing one very long and rich chapter of his life to begin yet another.

From an awkward first meeting with Jack Nicholson to early encounters with a young Ronald Reagan and a shy, as-of-yet-unknown, eighteen-year-old Steven Spielberg, Regis reveals the many influences that have shaped his life philosophy and career. Recounted here are stories about chance meetings, interactions and full-blown adventures with Bing Crosby, Donald Trump, Don Rickles, Dave Letterman, Dean Martin, Johnny Carson, Jack Paar, three legendary Notre Dame coaches--Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian, and Lou Holt--Joe DiMaggio, Jerry Seinfeld, Cary Grant, Bill Cosby, Walter Winchell, John Severino (his most notorious and life-changing boss), Marine Majors Rankin and Flake, George Clooney, George Steinbrenner, Charles Grodin, Howard Stern and others. Of course, there are also chapters devoted to his co-stars of many years Kelly Ripa and Kathie Lee Gifford, and one that is nothing less than a moving love-letter to his wife of 41 years, Joy Philbin.

Invaluable advice closes each chapter with the trademark gratitude and humility that has made Regis Philbin such a national treasure. Inspiring anecdotes, laugh-out-loud tales and awkward celebrity moments make this so much more than a memoir--it truly is Regis's personal guide to living a positive life. Marked by same tongue-in-cheek humor and candor Regis has always displayed, this book will serve and endure as a reminder of why America has related to and loved this one-of-a-kind television legend for so many decades.