For decades, Kathie Lee Gifford has been one of the sunniest stars in the entertainment
industry. Loved and loathed in equal measure for her unwavering optimism,
Gifford has suffered a lot in spite of all those good vibes. Here's a
look at some of the darkest moments in the life of Kathie Lee Gifford.
Gifford began to enjoy professional success in the '70s on the game show "Name That Tune," and as an
opening act in Las Vegas for the likes of Bob Hope a nd Bill Cosby. This all meant Gifford travelled
in exclusive circles populated by important people, a couple of whom exploited their power.
Gifford wrote in her book, " I Can't Believe I Said That," about a major entertainment figure,
whom she did not name, who forced her hand into his lap, which she called,
"An unspeakably humiliating and disgusting violation."
"To be a young woman in that business is brutal."
Gifford later discussed an encounter when she was new to Los Angeles as
a 21-year-old and went to the home of a man who promised to help her career but
instead forced her to watch him perform an explicit act on himself. She said, via People,
"I felt grateful I got out of there without being
[assaulted]. But you're so demeaned, you feel so dirty."
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help
is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or
contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
After six years spent in an unhappy first marriage
to gospel songwriter Paul Johnson, Gifford would not immediately find her happily ever after.
"I thought I'd never ever find joy in a marriage."
After splitting with Johnson, Gifford moved to Manhattan to work as a field reporter for "Good
Morning America," where she met another member of the show's cast: former NFL MVP, Frank Gifford.
He was married to his second wife at the time, and 23 years older than Kathie Lee, but she was
still interested in him because he possessed what she called, quote, "an incredible set of buns."
Since Frank was spoken for, Kathie Lee dated several other men over
the next few years. Meanwhile, she became close friends with Frank. The
pair finally started dating when Frank got divorced, and they married in 1986.
As anyone who ever watched Gifford on "Live
with Regis and Kathie Lee" and "Today" clearly knows, the media personality loves to speak
in long and loving detail about her two children with husband Frank: son Cody and daughter Cassidy.
Gifford has also been very honest about her personal life, particularly as it came to
matters of family and health. And in 1992, she broke some devastating personal news
during an episode of "Live." Gifford explained that she was on a Colorado
vacation when she suffered a miscarriage. She had the pregnancy on TV beforehand,
and subsequently donated all the baby clothes she'd bought to Hurricane Andrew relief efforts.
But Gifford soon announced she was pregnant once more, and Cassidy was born the following summer.
In the mid-'90s,
Gifford partnered with Wal-Mart to launch an apparel line. But the arrangement rapidly
unraveled in 1996 when, according to The New York Times, testimony was heard by Congress
alleging that Gifford's clothing line was inexpensive because it was produced by children
in overseas sweatshops. Wal-Mart had made the labor arrangements without Gifford's knowledge,
but her reputation suffered an enormous blow. Gifford responded on "Live,"
"You can say I'm ugly, you can say I'm not talented. But when you say I don't care about
children… You better answer your phone because my attorney is calling you today. How dare you?"
The Gifford family publicly apologized and became anti-sweatshop advocates, but when they
were again hit with similar allegations in '99, Gifford defended herself on her show, asserting,
"This is an issue that just doesn't go away because sweatshops, unfortunately,
haven't gone away."
Wal-Mart parted ways with the clothing line in 2003.
For years on "Live," Gifford would
tell many affectionate stories about her husband Frank, painting a picture of a devoted family man.
But in 1997, the Globe alleged that Frank had engaged in an affair in a Manhattan hotel room
with former flight attendant Suzen Johnson. Both Giffords publicly dismissed the story. Responding
to the Giffords' threat to sue, the Globe then published the story "Cheating Frank Caught on
Camera" — with photos and videotape of Frank's encounter. But the footage was easy to come by
because, as The Washington Post noted, the Globe had paid Johnson to seduce
Gifford and bring him to a room that had been rigged with recording equipment.
The scandal put a strain on the Giffords' marriage.
Kathie Lee later told "Entertainment Tonight,"
"We struggled after that for a long time. But we stayed together, we saved our marriage."
Kathie Lee and Frank weathered the drama and stayed married for nearly 30 years.
But their story ended when Frank died of natural causes, in 2015, at 84 years old.
"The only thing Frank has ever been afraid of in his entire life, was being a burden to those
he loved. That's what I had prayed, that the Lord would take him the way he wanted to go."
Three months after his death, Gifford's family announced a post-mortem diagnosis of CTE,
a degenerative brain condition widely associated with repeated blows to the head
suffered by pro football players. While Kathie Lee put on a brave face for the cameras,
celebrating the life of her late husband, AARP suggested of Gifford,
"[Kathie Lee] was forced to adjust to being alone, enduring crippling loneliness."