Kathie Lee Gifford was a morning talk show fixture for decades,
first on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee and then on The Today Show. But what has she been
up to lately? Keep watching to discover what really happened to this TV legend.
It's always difficult to lose a loved one, even if you're able to mourn privately. But Kathie Lee
Gifford had to share her sadness with the world when her husband Frank passed away in 2015. Frank
was a beloved football player and broadcaster who had a significant fandom of his own.
Upon his passing on August 9, 2015, Kathie Lee and the rest of her family released a statement,
letting all of their fans know that Frank had died of natural causes at home. They also noted,
"We rejoice in the extraordinary life he was privileged to live,
and we feel grateful and blessed to have been loved by such an amazing human being.
We ask that our privacy be respected at this difficult time and we thank you for your prayers."
After Frank's passing, Kathie Lee understandably took some time away from work.
She returned to Today on August 17 and shared what her experience had been like.
She expressed gratitude to her fans by noting,
"I want to thank everybody for your love and your texts and your tweets,
and just the outpouring has been extraordinary. It’s a heck of a way to find out how loved you
are. Believe me, my family and I got strength and comfort for it."
"I just want everybody to know that this is a man who was at complete peace in his life."
Entertainment industry feuds are a dime a dozen. Kathie Lee Gifford had a high-profile one of her
own, and she addressed it on the air in May 2018. It was between her and radio host Howard Stern,
and according to Gifford, she had no idea why Stern hated her so much,
though their feud apparently lasted for decades. As she explained on Today,
"I never met him. I never listened to his show. He hated my guts for 30 years. Hated my husband,
hated my children. Hated everything I stood for."
But Gifford ultimately decided to take matters into her own hands.
While Stern was at the studio to announce America's Got Talent,
she went up and introduced herself and wished him her best. According to Gifford,
"He was really flabbergasted."
Gifford had previously discussed putting the feud to rest during a 2014
appearance on Watch What Happens Live, when she recounted that Stern told her:
"You never deserved it, and you’ve always been so nice, and you just pissed me off because, you
were just- you know, he pretty much said, 'cause you were everything I wasn't."
In January 2017, Gifford let NBC know that she was planning on leaving Today at the end of the year.
But everything changed when fellow Today host Matt Lauer was fired in November due to allegations of
workplace harassment, which altered Gifford's plans. As she recalled to People Magazine,
"Some things were painful for us. And we had to adjust, and then they said,
'If we accommodate your schedule, will you consider staying?' I wasn’t looking to get out,
but I needed the time. So when they accommodated the schedule, then there was no reason to leave."
She added,
"There’s no better place in a 50-year career. It all worked out, so I’m staying."
Ultimately, Gifford remained at Today until 2019, which truly marked the end of an era. While
chatting with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show shortly before her final episode, she explained
that her husband's death had significantly impacted how she viewed the rest of her life.
"After my husband passed, you really realize that you're
gonna run out of time. He didn't know that morning that he was running out of time."
Gifford's mom also died shortly thereafter, adding to the already
transformational experience she was going through. As she put it,
"For the first time in my life, I have the time and the means to go and do anything I want to do."
Gifford's run at Today lasted for eleven years, and she admitted that she'd fallen
in love with her colleagues, but all good things must eventually come to an end.
Plenty of people love a good Hallmark holiday movie,
and one of those people is Kathie Lee Gifford. So it worked out quite well for
her when she landed a part in the Godwink Christmas mystery films in 2018 and 2019.
The 2019 installment, A Godwink Christmas: Meant for Love, was a smash success for Gifford,
as the film garnered some lovely viewer feedback. As Gifford noted to TV Insider,
"I was delighted to discover a huge audience [for a film] based on a God wink."
She also expressed how grateful she was to be a part of a series of films
that feature what happens when, quote, "the divine intersects with the human."
And plenty of Hallmark fans shared her enthusiasm. A Godwink Christmas:
Meant for Love currently has a 4.9-out-of-5 star rating on Amazon. As one five-star review raved,
"They are Hallmark Christmas movies at their best with lots of cheesey
chance encounters [...] and of course tons of wonderfully predictable Christmas cheer. A+"
Gifford might be best known for all her time on daytime TV, but she's also been an actress,
singer, and much more. So it should come as no surprise that in 2020
she was honored with the Visionary Award at the Movieguide Awards, which were designed to honor
entertainment's most inspiring figures, and Gifford certainly fits the bill.
It was a particularly memorable evening, as the honor was presented by a very familiar face.
From 1988 to 2000, Gifford was the co-host of Live! With Regis
and Kathie Lee alongside Regis Philbin, so naturally enough,
he was the one to fill presentation duties. During her acceptance speech, Gifford said,
"Most of the time, I go, 'Why? Why me?' All I've been doing my whole life is walking with Jesus.
And he takes me on adventures, since I was 12 years old. All
I wanted to be when I was growing up was an actress and a singer."
It wasn't long after that, though, that Gifford would have to mourn the loss of her close friend,
as Philbin passed away on July 24, 2020. As Gifford wrote on Instagram,
"There are no words to fully express the love I have for my precious friend, Regis. I simply
adored him and every day with him was a gift. We spent 15 years together bantering and bickering
and laughing ourselves silly — a tradition and a friendship we shared up to this very day."
"I got to laugh again with one of my best friends in all my lifetime."
Gifford may have said goodbye to the cameras of Today, but she didn't say goodbye to every
camera in the industry. September 2020 saw the release of the film Then Came You,
which she wrote and starred in. It's a romantic comedy focusing on the dynamic between two people
later in life who have both experienced loss. Gifford has described it as her passion project.
She starred alongside Scottish comedian Craig Ferguson, and it sounds like she
had a lovely experience working with him. Back in 2017, he served as a guest host on Today,
and their chemistry was totally off the charts. Gifford called it the, quote,
"most explosive week of television of my career." The two sat down for
lunch together shortly thereafter and chatted about potentially working on a film together.
Then at 2 A.M. the next morning, she called him and gave him the script for Then Came You.
Regarding her inspiration for making the movie, she told USA Today,
"I don't ever want to stop believing in love. Stop
believing in love and you've got one foot in the grave already."
A lot of celebrities eventually get into the book-writing game, and Kathie Lee Gifford is
no different. In October 2020, she expanded her horizons by releasing a children's book called
Hello, Little Dreamer. She announced the book's launch on Instagram, expressing her hope that it
would inspire little kids to follow their dreams. According to the book's synopsis,
"Children glow with joy and a sense of security when they know God made them for a purpose."
Considering that description, it makes perfect sense that Gifford would be behind such a sweet
idea, as faith has always been a huge part of her life. Hello, Little Dreamer is targeted to
toddlers and preschoolers, as it encourages them to explore their individual interests and talents.
It currently has a 4.9-out-of-5-star rating on Amazon, with one reviewer cheering,
"After seeing Kathie Lee Gifford on TV with Hoda,
I knew I needed this book to read with my first granddaughter. She is only 2 years old,
but this book will be read with her for many years to come."
And that wasn't the only book that Gifford released in 2020,
as her memoir It's Never Too Late: Make the Next Act of Your Life the
Best Act of Your Life arrived on shelves in December of that year.
The COVID-19 pandemic has postponed or altered many plans for a lot of people,
including the Gifford family. When Kathie Lee's children got married in 2020, they both opted
for smaller, more intimate affairs. Her daughter Cassidy tied the knot in June, while her son Cody
got hitched in September. Cassidy's wedding took place at her groom Ben's family home in Michigan,
while Cody's ceremony was held at the Giffords' Greenwich, Connecticut house,
the same place where his dad's ashes were spread. As Kathie Lee noted to People Magazine,
"Some people are postponing until they can have the big celebration,
but my kids just wanted to be married."
"COVID of course changed everything in everybody's lives in so many different ways.
Ended up being a tremendous blessing. These things always do if you let them."
Both weddings were joyous and nostalgic, and the late Gifford patriarch was there in spirit,
if not in person. As Kathie Lee told People,
"At both weddings, we felt Frank just smiling. He had an aerial view, I think."
If Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb's hour of Today was known for anything, it was its
propensity for wine. The two hosts always had a couple of glasses sitting on their desk, and
watching the two of them talk and laugh together was like dropping in on two friends just chatting
over drinks. So it should come as no surprise to learn that Gifford has partnered with a winery
to create her own label. The TV personality partnered with Scheid Family Wines to create
GIFFT Wines by Kathie Lee Gifford. She shared her journey on the label's website as she wrote,
"I was born in Paris, France so maybe the love of wine comes naturally. All
I know is that when I started discussing creating a wine with Scheid Family Wines,
it felt like the most natural thing in the world."
She added,
"I visited the spectacular vineyards, I met with the farmers who dedicate their lives to bringing
in the harvest, and the amazing Scheid family—its name and its reputation on every bottle."
Gifford tends to share updates on her social media about the various wines that GIFFT offers,
so don't mind us if we're sharing a glass with Gifford if we ever get the chance.
When Kathie Lee Gifford left Today, it was truly the end of an era. She'd established
her career on interviewing people, and it seemed unfathomable to think of her
pursuing any other avenue. But there were other pursuits, like making movies and writing books,
that she was truly passionate about, and those took more time than hosting TV.
But she couldn't escape her interviewing routine forever. In February 2021, she chatted with
musician Brian Welch, co-founder and guitarist of rock band Korn. They discussed the film
Loud Krazy Love, a documentary that chronicles Welch's struggles with addiction and depression.
As a survivor of mental health problems who's had thoughts about killing himself,
Welch spoke to Gifford about what pulled him out of such a dark place. Gifford was as on top of
her game as ever, as she asked Welch questions with persistence and grace. It was wonderful
to see her back in the host's seat, and we hope to see her there again in the future!
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