Famously, sidekick/announcer Regis Philbin walked off the program as a result of the continuous drubbing he had been receiving from critics, stating that the network never wanted him and he feared that he was injuring the series, but he soon returned. This proved to be one of the few installments of the series to top The Tonight Show in the ratings. In 2011, Philbin revealed that Bishop had conceived the walk-off as a stunt.
