Neil Patrick Harris banned from replacing Regis Philbin

Neil Patrick Harris wants to work with Kelly Ripa but he can’t!

The How I Met Your Mother actor says he’d love to replace Regis Philbin on Live! but is obligation to the CBS sitcom would make it hard for him to become Ripa’s co-host on the ABC syndicated show.

“I’m a huge Kelly Ripa fan. But it’s on a competing network and I have a contractual obligation” he said. “For at least another year and a half, and I can’t imagine she’d want to fly solo for that long.”

Neil recently admitted his eating habits have changed dramatically since he moved in with partner David Burtka who quit acting in 2009 to retrain as a chef because his own culinary skills are so limited.

“I can’t seem to cook a meal,” Neil said. “You have no idea how good it is to live with a chef. I’ve had a lifetime of Subway sandwiches and In-N-Out burgers and now it’s all paninis and Kobe beef.”