Lewis publicist Candi Cazau declined comment to The Associated Press when told of the statements that opened the telethon on Sunday.
Co-host Nigel Lythgoe said during his opening comments on the telethon that he didn't realize Lewis, 85, was thinking about retirement during the show last year, when the comedian offered Lythgoe his seat as Lewis took a break and Lythgoe was coming on the air.
"He made such a big point about it. `I've never done this before,' he said," said Lythgoe, the executive producer of "American Idol." "I didn't realize then that he was contemplating retiring.
"And Jerry, and I know you're watching, when you gave me that chair I know it's possible to sit on it, but it's isn't possible, Jerry, to replace you, sir," he said. "What you have done for this organization and its families is something close to a miracle and I know that we all want to carry on your legacy."
Entertainment journalist Jann Carl followed Lythgoe by saying Lewis retired from the telethon this year.
"As Nigel just said, Jerry retired from the telethon this year, but of course, he's here with us in spirit and in heart, and we will continue to be energized and inspired by what I like to call his towering example," Carl said. "I mean that."
Carl said Lewis' dream is to rid the world of muscle disease, and she's making that her dream.
MDA spokesman Jim Brown declined comment beyond the hosts' remarks, but said the telethon would include at least one more nod to Lewis.
Later, during the show's first hour, superstar singer Celine Dion mentioned Lewis again during a taped segment, referring to him as a friend as she introduced a cover performance of Journey's "Open Arms."
"Jerry, you will always be a hero to the MDA families," Dion said.
Lewis, who's appeared in scores of films and TV shows as well as produced, directed and taught film, had been chairman of the MDA since the early 1950s, before the famed telethon began.
The Lewis-less telethon began airing live on the east coast Sunday night with an opening number featuring young dancers performing to David Guetta's "Titanium," with an introduction from Abbey Umali, the organization's tween goodwill ambassador.
The MDA is asking millions of Americans during the six-hour broadcast for at least $1 more than the $58.9 million it raised last year.
This year's revamped fundraiser was expected to trot out as much A-list punch as it could muster as the charity works to raise money for neuromuscular research, clinics and summer camp for youngsters known as "Jerry's Kids."
Even before the telethon began airing live on the east coast, the association's inextricable bond to the beloved actor and comedian hung over the six-hour primetime TV production.
Hours before the show, co-host Nancy O'Dell tweeted a picture of herself with Umali. In the background, a sign had a caricature of Lewis with his signature above the words "MDA Telethon," below a photograph of a smiling and pointing Lewis.
As the program began, many viewers openly wondered about the split and how the show would be affected.
"I don't know if it's going to be the same," said Denise Miller, 49, of Bloomingdale, N.J., a longtime donor who said she has watched the telethon since she was a teenager.
The MDA announced in August that the showbiz veteran would not take part in the annual telethon and was no longer the organization's chairman - an unceremonious end to a six-decade association that forged one of the world's most famous annual TV moments.
Lewis, who's appeared in scores of films and TV shows as well as produced, directed and taught film, had been chairman of the MDA since the early 1950s, before the famed telethon began. In 1977, Lewis was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the telethon and the MDA.
Miller said she planned to still tune in and donate because she wants to support the children - a value she says she learned from Lewis.
"He provided the reason for me to believe that my money is going to a good cause," she said. "I'm not going to turn my back on the cause of what he's built because it is, to me, valuable... But I want to see him."
The telethon staged at the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas was shortened to six hours from 21½ hours last year. It was broadcast live to the Eastern time zone from 6 p.m.-12 a.m. EDT and tape-delayed in other U.S. zones. Final donation totals won't be tallied until the show goes off the air in Hawaii.
Rumors flew among those close to the telethon in recent weeks that Lewis might perform the show's final number, singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" one final time. But Lewis publicist Candi Cazau said he never agreed to any appearance - recorded or live - after the MDA announced he wouldn't take part in the show or be its chairman.
In May, when the MDA first announced Lewis was retiring as host, the organization said he would stay on as chairman and still appear on the show. It released a statement from Lewis in which the comedian said he would sing the song that has become an annual tradition.
"As a labor of love, I've hosted the annual Telethon since 1966 and I'll be making my final appearance on the show this year by performing my signature song, `You'll Never Walk Alone,"' Lewis said, according to the statement.
But the statement said Lewis wouldn't step down as chairman.
"I'll never desert MDA and my kids," he said.
Instead of Lewis' rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone," the finale was expected to include Jordin Sparks, Richie Sambora and Jon Secada, among others, singing along with 70 children from a Las Vegas choir.
Lewis raised $1.66 billion for the telethon since it started in 1966 from a single station in New York City. It was scheduled to air this year on more than 150 stations across the nation.
