Regis Philbin fine after heart surgery

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Daytime television host Regis Philbin was cracking jokes with nurses a day after heart surgery, co-host Kelly Ripa told the "Live with Regis and Kelly" audience on Thursday.

Philbin announced on the show on Monday that he would undergo open-heart surgery to clear out plaque in his arteries that had caused chest pains and shortness of breath.

Ripa said Philbin, 75, had bypass surgery on Wednesday morning and is already "up and joking around with nurses."

Philbin, former host of the hit game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," has been a national morning TV fixture since 1989, first with Kathie Lee Gifford and since 2001 with Ripa.

Reuters/Nielsen