Kathie Lee Gifford | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Gifford in 2020 | |
| Born | Kathryn Lee Epstein (1953-08-16)August 16, 1953 (age 72) Paris, France |
| Alma mater | Oral Roberts University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children |
|
| Website | www |
Kathryn Lee Gifford (néeEpstein; born August 16, 1953)[1] is an American television presenter, singer, songwriter, actress, and author. From 1985 to 2000, she andRegis Philbin hosted thetalk showLive! with Regis and Kathie Lee. Gifford is also known for her 11-year run withHoda Kotb, on thefourth hour ofNBC'sToday show (2008–2019). She has received 11Daytime Emmy nominations and won her firstDaytime Emmy in 2010 as part of theToday team.
Gifford's first television role was asTom Kennedy's singer/sidekick on the syndicated version ofName That Tune in the 1977–1978 season. She also occasionally appeared on the first three hours ofToday and was a contributingNBC News correspondent.
Kathie Lee married Paul Johnson, a composer, arranger, producer and publisher ofChristian music, in 1976, and they divorced in 1982. She married sportscaster and formerNFL playerFrank Gifford in 1986. Kathie Lee has released studio music albums and several books, her music and writings feature spiritual and uplifting themes.
Gifford was born Kathryn Lee Epstein inParis, France, to American parents, Joan (born Cuttell; January 20, 1930 – September 12, 2017), a singer, and Aaron Epstein (March 19, 1924 – November 19, 2002), a musician and formerUS NavyChief Petty Officer. Aaron Epstein was stationed with his family in France at the time of Gifford's birth.[2] Gifford grew up inBowie, Maryland, and attendedBowie High School.[3]
Gifford's paternal grandfather was aRussian Jew fromSaint Petersburg and her paternal grandmother hadNative American ancestry. Her mother, a relative of writerRudyard Kipling, was ofFrench Canadian,German andEnglish descent.[4][5]
After seeing theBilly Graham-produced filmThe Restless Ones at age 12, Gifford became aborn-again Christian. She told interviewerLarry King, "I was raised with many Jewish traditions and raised to be very grateful for my Jewish heritage."[6]
During high school, Gifford was a singer in afolk group, "Pennsylvania Next Right", which performed frequently at school assemblies. After high school graduation in 1971, Gifford attendedOral Roberts University inTulsa, Oklahoma, studying drama and music. During a summer in the early 1970s, she was a live-in secretary/babysitter forAnita Bryant at her home inMiami. Her first regular appearances on national TV were as a singer on the game showName That Tune, hosted byTom Kennedy in the late 1970s, in which she would sing small portions of songs that contestants would have to identify.
Gifford's career took off in 1978 when she joined the cast of the short-livedHee Haw spinoff,Hee Haw Honeys. She was also a correspondent and substitute anchor onABC'sGood Morning America in the early 1980s.
On June 24, 1985, Gifford replaced Ann Abernathy as co-host ofThe Morning Show onWABC-TV withRegis Philbin. The program went into national broadcast in 1988 asLive! with Regis and Kathie Lee, and Gifford became well known across the country. Throughout the 1990s, morning-TV viewers watched her descriptions of life at home with her sportscaster husband Frank, son Cody, and daughter Cassidy.
In 1990, whenTV Guide held a poll for readers to select the most beautiful woman on television,Live! presented a week-long mock campaign to garner votes for Gifford.[7] Gifford wound up winning the poll,[8][9] receiving more than four times as many votes as the runners-up,Jaclyn Smith andNicollette Sheridan.[7]
Philbin and Gifford were jointly nominated eight years in a row (1993 to 2000) for Outstanding Talk Show Host during the Daytime Emmy Awards.[10] Gifford decided to leave the show in 2000. She explained that filling in forCarol Burnett on Broadway and guest-hostingLate Show with David Letterman had inspired her to pursue more challenging work. The day after she hostedLate Show on February 24, 2000, she told Regis she had decided to leaveLive!. Her last episode aired on July 28, 2000.[11]
On March 31, 2008, NBC announced that Gifford was to join its morning show,Today, as co-host of the fourth hour titledToday with Kathie Lee and Hoda, alongsideHoda Kotb. This marked her return to morning television; in many markets, she aired directly after her old show, currently calledLive with Kelly and Mark. Because the fourth hour ofToday airs live at 10:00 am ET, andLive with Kelly and Ryan airs live at 9:00 am ET, Gifford's hour did not compete directly with her former show in most markets.[12] Kotb and Gifford replacedAnn Curry andNatalie Morales. In the weeks prior to Gifford's arrival, ratings indicated 1.9 million viewers of the fourth hour ofToday.[13] As of 2014, the fourth hour ofToday with Gifford and Kotb averaged 2.15 million total viewers, an increase of 13 percent over the 2008 ratings.[14][15] On December 11, 2018, it was announced that she would be leavingToday in April 2019. Her final Today Show appearance was on April 5, 2019, with a party, including a video by her children Cody and Cassidy Gifford.[16] In 2019, they won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host.
Gifford has made guest appearances in films and television series, and has several independently released albums onCD, including 2000'sThe Heart of a Woman, featuring the single "Love Never Fails".[17][18]
She appeared as a spokesperson forSlim Fast diet shakes after her son Cody was born. She also was the face ofCarnival Cruise Lines in the late 1980s and early 1990s, singing "If my friends could see me now!" In 1991 she christened theCarnival Ecstasy, the 2nd of theFantasy Class of cruise ships. In 1994, she appeared as herself inan episode of the NBC sitcomSeinfeld.
She did a number of voice overs most notably as Echidna in the 1998 TV seriesHercules and inHigglytown Heroes as the Mail Carrier Hero in 2004.
In September 2005 she became a special correspondent onThe Insider, a syndicated entertainment magazine television show, ending her relationship with that program upon her co-hosting role withToday.[19]
She played the role of Miss Hannigan in a concert performance ofAnnie atMadison Square Garden in December 2006.[20]
On an episode that aired March 27, 2010, she guest starred onThe Suite Life on Deck, along with her real-life daughter, Cassidy.
She appeared as herself in the 2015 television filmSharknado 3: Oh Hell No!.
She has written numerous autobiographical books,Just When I Thought I'd Dropped my Last Egg: Life and Other Calamities in 2010,The Rock, the Road and the Rabbi in March 2018, andIt’s Never Too Late: Make the Next Act of Your Life the Best Act of Your Life in 2020. Her book regarding the Christian faith,The Jesus I Know: Honest Conversations and Diverse Opinions about Who He Is was released in 2021. She has also written a number of children's books.
Gifford leftToday in order to pursue a movie career as an actress, director, and producer. In 2018, she filmedThen Came You in which she co-stars withCraig Ferguson. That same year, she also filmed a Hallmark Christmas movie forHallmark Movies & Mysteries calledA Godwink Christmas. Gifford intends to make movies about the experiences of losing a loved one and being a widow, which she considers an underrepresented topic in Hollywood.[21] Gifford has several projects in the works including sequels toThen Came You.
On April 28, 2021, Gifford was honored with a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to the television industry. Her star is located at 6834Hollywood Boulevard, only five stars away from that of her former co-host Regis Philbin.[22]
In the late 1990s, Gifford began working in musical theatre. She contributed a number of musical numbers toHats, and wrote and producedUnder The Bridge,[23] based upon the children's bookThe Family Under The Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson. In 2000 she released the albumThe Heart of a Woman on Universal.
Gifford wrote the book and lyrics forSaving Aimee, a stage musical about evangelistAimee McPherson, which premiered in 2007 at theSignature Theatre inArlington, Virginia.[24][25] The premiere starred actressCarolee Carmello in the lead role.[26] The show, retitled asScandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson, ran on Broadway from November 15, 2012, through December 9, 2012,[27] with Carmello reprising her role as McPherson. On April 30, 2013, Carmello received her thirdTony Award nomination for the performance.[28]
On April 16, 2007, Gifford was a guest presenter at the Washington, D.C.Helen Hayes Award Ceremony, honoring contributions and professional accomplishments in theatre.[29]
In 2008, Gifford andDavid Friedman wrote a junior high school musical entitledKey Pin It Real.[30] The play depicts a coming-of-age story about a young girl named Key Pin. The first production took place in December 2008 inKendallville, Indiana, atEast Noble High School.[31]
In 2011, Gifford was working on a musical adaptation ofIt's a Wonderful Life withJohn McDaniel; McDaniel is composing music while Gifford is writing lyrics.[32]
Gifford is a celebrity ambassador for the non-profit organizationChildhelp. She regularly makes appearances at fund raisers and events for the child abuse prevention and treatment organization and is an ardent supporter.[33]
Frank and Kathie Lee Gifford raised the money to build and continued to financially support two shelters inNew York City for babies born withHIV, or a congenitalcrack cocaine addiction. These shelters were named in honor of her children, Cody and Cassidy.[34]
In 1996 Gifford was earning $9 million annually licensing her name to a brand of clothing sold at Walmart. Part of the proceeds went to charity.Charles Kernaghan'shuman rights group called theNational Labor Committee reported thatsweatshop labor was being used in manufacturing the Kathie Lee Gifford branded clothing.[35][36]
Gifford called Kernaghan's report "a vicious attack" on an episode ofLive! with Regis and Kathie Lee. Gifford explained during this broadcast that she was not responsible for the contract manufacturers that made her products.[35][37]
Kernaghan in his congressional testimony of April 1996, said that to make Gifford's clothing, girls as young as 15 worked for 31 cents an hour, 75 hours a week.[35] Kernaghan reported that a worker inHonduras smuggled a piece of clothing out of the factory, which had a Kathie Lee label on it.[38] One of the workers, Wendy Diaz, came to the United States to testify about the conditions under which she worked. She commented, "I wish I could talk to [Kathie Lee]. If she's good, she will help us."[39]
Gifford later contacted federal authorities to investigate the issue and worked with US federal legislative and executive branch agencies to support and enact laws to protect children against sweatshop conditions. She appeared with PresidentBill Clinton at theWhite House in support of the government's initiatives to counter internationalsweatshop abuses.[40]
Kathie Lee married Paul Johnson, a composer/arranger/producer/publisher, in 1976. They gained fame in Christian music, appearing on covers of Christian magazines. The marriage was strained from the start and in 1981, Johnson moved out of their residence in Woodland Hills, California. The couple divorced in 1982.[41]
On October 18, 1986, Kathie Lee married a second time, this time toFrank Gifford, an American football player and television sports commentator. It was his third marriage after marriages with Maxine Avis Ewart and Astrid Lindley. With Ewart he had three children.
Kathie Lee was 23 years younger than Frank Gifford. They had two children together, Cody Newton Gifford (born March 22, 1990) andCassidy Erin Gifford (born August 2, 1993). They also shared the same birthday of August 16.
Frank Gifford's AffairIn 1997, Frank Gifford, a former NFL player and sports broadcaster, was involved in a highly publicized affair with Suzen Johnson, a former flight attendant. This affair was orchestrated by a tabloid, The Globe, which hired Johnson to seduce Gifford and record their encounter.
Details of the AffairSetup: Johnson was paid between $75,000 and $125,000 to lure Gifford to a hotel room where hidden recording equipment was installed.Execution: After two failed attempts, Johnson successfully tricked Gifford into the room on April 30 and May 1, 1997.Publication: The story of the affair was published by The Globe shortly after the encounter.Impact on Gifford's MarriageKathie Lee Gifford's Reaction: At the time, Kathie Lee Gifford, Frank's wife, was co-hosting a popular television show. The affair caused significant emotional turmoil for her, as they had two young children.Forgiveness: Despite the pain, Kathie Lee chose to forgive Frank, emphasizing the importance of not allowing resentment to fester. She believed that their children would be affected if they separated.AftermathPublic Response: The affair and its exposure raised discussions about ethics in journalism, particularly regarding entrapment.Johnson's Career: Following the scandal, Johnson appeared on the cover of Playboy and later ran a website discussing her experiences.Frank Gifford and Kathie Lee remained married until his death in 2015, navigating the challenges posed by the affair throughout their relationship.
Frank Gifford died on August 9, 2015, from natural causes at theirGreenwich, Connecticut, home at the age of 84.[42][43]
In 2017, Kathie Lee Gifford released the song "He Saw Jesus", co-written with songwriterBrett James, which she dedicated to her late husband. All proceeds from the song went to the internationalevangelical Christian humanitarian aid charitySamaritan's Purse.
(as Kathie Lee Gifford on all albums except where indicated)
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The First Wives Club | Herself | Cameo appearance |
| 1999 | Hercules: Zero to Hero | Echidna (voice) | Voice role |
| Dudley Do-Right | Herself | Cameo appearance | |
| 2011 | Adventures of Serial Buddies | Herself | |
| 2020 | Then Came You | Annabelle Wilson | Also screenwriter |
| 2022 | Jennifer Lopez: Halftime | Herself | Documentary |
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Days of Our Lives | Nurse Callihan | Episode dated October 17, 1975 |
| 1985-2000 | Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee | Herself / Co-host | |
| 1991 | All My Children | Herself | Episode dated November 11, 1991 |
| 1993–2002 | Late Show with David Letterman | Herself / Announcer | |
| 1994 | Evening Shade | Stephanie Rodgers | Episode: "Mama Knows Best" |
| Seinfeld | Herself | Episode: "The Opposite" | |
| 1995 | Coach | Herself | Episode: "The Day I Met Frank Gifford" |
| The Cosby Mysteries | Herself | Episode: "Big Brother is Watching" | |
| Women of the House | Herself | Episode: "Dear Diary" | |
| 1996, 2000 | Touched by an Angel | Wendy / Jolene | 2 episodes |
| 1996–2002 | The Rosie O'Donnell Show | Herself / Guest host | 12 episodes |
| 1997 | Second Noah | Herself | Episode: "Diving In" |
| Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Jill (voice) | Episode:"Mother Goose" | |
| Spin City | Herself | Episode: "Radio Daze" | |
| The Tom Show | Herself | Episode: "It's Jan!" | |
| Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show | Herself | Episode: "Honey, I Know What You're Thinking" | |
| 1998 | Diagnosis: Murder | Mary Montgomery | Episode: "Talked to Death" |
| The Simpsons | Herself | Episode: "Treehouse of Horror IX" | |
| Soul Man | Herself | Episode: "Grabbed by an Angel" | |
| Style & Substance | Herself | Episode: "A Recipe of Disaster" | |
| Hercules | Echidna (voice) | 4 episodes | |
| Lateline | Herself | Episode: "Pearce on Conan" | |
| 1999 | Hey Arnold! | Jackie Lee (voice) | Episode: "Deconstructing Arnold" |
| The Famous Jett Jackson | Herself | Episode: "New York" | |
| 2000 | Model Behavior | Deirdre Adams | Television film |
| 2000–2004 | Hollywood Squares | Herself / Panelist | 15 episodes |
| 2001 | The Amanda Show | Princess Whiff | Episode: "Episode 29" |
| Spinning Out of Control | Amanda Berkeley | Television film | |
| Just Shoot Me! | Allison Spencer | Episode: "Sugar Momma" | |
| The Drew Carey Show | Vanessa Bobeck | Episode: "Christening" | |
| 2003 | Star Search | Herself / Guest judge | Episode dated March 5, 2003 |
| 2004 | Hope & Faith | Marge | Episode: "The Diner Show" |
| 2004–2005 | Higglytown Heroes | Mail Carrier (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2004–2019 | Today | Herself / Co-host | |
| 2005 | That's So Raven | Claire | Episode: "Dog Day After-Groom" |
| 2005–2014 | The View | Herself / Guest host | 7 episodes |
| 2006 | Handy Manny | Mrs. Hillary (voice) | Episode: "Not So Fast Food/Merry-Go-Around" |
| 2009 | The City | Herself | Episode: "Everything On the Line" |
| Lipstick Jungle | Herself | Episode: "La Vie en Pose" | |
| 2010 | 30 Rock | Herself | Episode: "Floyd" |
| The Suite Life on Deck | Cindy | Episode: "Model Behavior" | |
| 2011 | Keeping Up with the Kardashians | Herself | Episode: "Kim's Fairytale Wedding: Part 2" |
| Hot in Cleveland | Christal | Episode: "Elka's Choice" | |
| 2013 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | Herself / Contestant | Episode dated May 10, 2013 |
| Smash | Herself | Episode: "The Producers" | |
| 2014 | The Michael J. Fox Show | Herself | Episode: "Changes" |
| 2014–2017 | Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce | Herself | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | The Mysteries of Laura | Dr. Carlin | Episode: "The Mystery of the Sunken Sailor" |
| Donny! | Herself | 2 episodes | |
| Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! | Herself | Television film | |
| Difficult People | Herself | Episode: "Premium Membership" | |
| 2016 | Younger | Herself | Episode: "A Kiss Is Just a Kiss" |
| 2017 | Nashville | Herself | Episode: "Hurricane" |
| Sharknado 5: Global Swarming | Herself | Television film | |
| 2018 | A Godwink Christmas | Aunt Jane | Television film |
| 2019 | The Other Two | Herself | Episode: "Pilot" |
| A Godwink Christmas: Meant for Love | Olga | Television film | |
| The Baxters | Lillian Ashford | 3 episodes |
Biographical
Cooking
Christian faith
Children's books
A fictionalized version of Kathie Lee Gifford appears in theSouth Park episode "Weight Gain 4000", voiced byKarri Turner.[45] Gifford later re-appears in the episodes "City on the Edge of Forever", "The Return of Chef", "200" and "201".[46]
| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Miss America Pageant host 1991–1995 Served alongside:Regis Philbin | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |