Showbiz vet Regis Philbin is resting comfortably after successful hip replacement surgery Tuesday.

“Everything went perfectly this morning during Regis’ hip replacement surgery, and his doctor said that Regis couldn’t be in better shape,” a rep for the 78-year-old said this afternon. “Regis anticipates returning to ‘LIVE! with Regis and Kelly’ soon after the first of the year, given the procedure’s typical four-six week recovery time. Regis and Joy want to thank everyone for their support and best wishes.”

The show says the typical recovery period is four to six weeks and Reg plans to return to his syndicated daytime talk show early next month.