Joe Regalbuto talks "Murphy Brown" at Thanksgiving Day Parade

Thanksgiving Day Parade 2018: Crowds brave frigid temperatures

Native New Yorker and "Murphy Brown" star Joe Regalbuto said Thursday was the closest he ever got to the Thanksgiving Day Parade, as he sat with Keltie Knight and Kevin Frazier just above the floats. "It's unreal; you can almost touch these floats," he said. 

Regalbuto said he brought in his whole family from California. The actor said of his grandson, "He's just giggling and loving it."  

Regalbuto, who was on the original "Murphy Brown," talked about getting the chance to reprise his role as Frank Fontana on the new reboot on CBS. 

"What a joy," he said. "I mean, they told me - I was in my pajamas - 'You wanna do it again?' It was never even on the radar and to see everybody again working so hard, coming out with great stories - we have a great Thanksgiving show coming out tonight - it's so much fun."

Regalbuto said the show still does not shy away from hot-button topics.

"We pick a topic and go after it," he said. "I don't think people tune into the show to watch us be wishy-washy. We try to be funny. The big thing is to be funny as you can and hit on the big stuff and try not to offend too many people - which is impossible."

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As for Thanksgiving dinner, Regalbuto said it's nice to come back to his hometown.

"I have a lot of relatives who work here," he said. "A lot of us are vegetarian, so we do a huge Italian dinner. We have eggplant parmesan, stuffed mushrooms and artichokes. Believe me, there's plenty of food." He even invited Knight and Frazier to dinner: "Come on over and this is not just a frozen smile: you're welcome." 

Frazier joked that he would bring his own turkey. 

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