Kathie Lee Gifford

Kathie Lee Gifford Headshot

Host • Singer • Songwriter • Actress

Birth Date: August 16, 1953

Age: 70 years old

Birth Place: Paris, France

Spouses: Frank Gifford

Children: Cassidy Gifford

Kathryn Lee Gifford is an American television presenter, singer, songwriter, and occasional actress. She got her start as a singer and nightclub entertainer who rose to prominence in the late 1980s as the co-host of "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee." Her upbeat personality and frequent references to her husband, NFL star-turned-broadcaster Frank Gifford, and their two children, Cassidy and Cody, earned her the admiration of countless daytime television viewers. She maintained a sunny presence on television series and live performances before returning to regular hosting duties on "The Today Show" (NBC, 1952- ) in 2008, where she reinvented her once-conservative persona as a boozy, fun-loving older woman in the company of her cohost, Hoda Kotb. Gifford announced her retirement from "Today" in late 2018, announcing her departure date as April 2019.

Born Kathie Lee Epstein on Aug. 16, 1953 in Paris, France, she spent a portion of her childhood stationed at Naval bases in Europe before her family settled in Bowie, MD. Raised in a Jewish household, her father Aaron was a Navy officer and jazz saxophonist, while mother Joan was a secretary. Strangely, Gifford converted to Christianity at the age of 12 after viewing an educational film featuring evangelist Billy Graham. Following winning the "Maryland Junior Miss" pageant at the age of 17, she went to live and work for the pageant's co-host, conservative entertainer and spokesperson Anita Bryant. Disenchanted with her duties for Bryant, which included babysitting and secretarial work, she split from the household and attended Oral Roberts University on a fulltime scholarship provided by Bryant. There, she studied drama and music and sang with Roberts' World Action Singers. She later became a frequent performer on Roberts' syndicated evangelical television series, campaigning extensively across the U.S. for him, but ended her association with him in her junior year of college.

Gifford married her Bible study leader, Paul Johnson, in 1976; though she later described the nuptials as a show-biz union, his background as a composer, producer, and publisher of Christian music allowed her to record three gospel albums between 1976 and 1978. Together, Gifford and Johnson also appeared as musical guests on several Christian television programs. The exposure led to work in the secular entertainment industry as well. As Kathie Lee Johnson, she appeared in a supporting role on the daytime soap "Days of Our Lives" (NBC, 1965- ) in 1976, and later sang on the syndicated version of the game show "Name That Tune" (NBC/CBS/syndicated, 1953-1985) between 1977 and 1978. After departing "Tune," she was top-billed on the "Hee Haw" (CBS/syndicated, 1969-1993) spin-off "Hee Haw Honeys" (syndicated, 1978-79) as the daughter of "Hee Haw" regulars Kenny Price and Lulu Roman, who ran a Nashville nightclub. The show was axed after only 26 episodes, but Gifford kept busy as a popular opening performer for headliners in Vegas and other showbiz capitals.

Gifford moved into broadcasting in 1981 when she filled in for television radio personality Regis Philbin on his morning talk show "A.M. Los Angeles" on KABC-TV. Impressed with her attitude and professionalism, the producers of "Good Morning America" (ABC, 1975- ) hired her as a special correspondent and occasional substitute host for Joan Lunden between 1982 and 1985. Gifford also began appearing and singing in network television commercials for the Carnival Cruise line. Despite the abundance of work, Gifford's marriage to Johnson was unraveling, and the couple divorced in 1983. Soon thereafter, she met Football Hall of Famer-turned-commentator Frank Gifford on "GMA" and soon became romantically involved with him. The pair, who shared the same birthday (though 23 years apart), were married in 1986.

Meanwhile, Philbin had relocated to New York City to take over the hosting duties for WABC-TV's low-rated talk show "The Morning Show," which he co-hosted with Cyndy Garvey and later Ann Abernathy. When Abernathy left the show in 1986, Gifford stepped in as co-host, and the show's ratings rose significantly. Two years later, the show began broadcasting nationally under its new title, "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee." The combination of Philbin's manic personality with Gifford's calm, maternal demeanor made it a popular destination for morning viewers. Initially, Gifford's frequent discussion of her home life, which expanded in 1990 following the arrival of her son, Cody, and daughter, Cassidy, in 1993, struck a chord with stay-at-home and working mothers who felt a kinship with her experiences. Comics and talk show hosts, however, made quick work of such a soft target, but Gifford's popularity grew exponentially with each year on "Live;" by the late 1980s and early 1990s, she was a ubiquitous presence on daytime and primetime TV as the host of the Miss America Pageant, a frequent telethon guest, and her own television specials, including "Kathie Lee Gifford's Celebration of Motherhood" (1993) and "Just In Time For Christmas" (1996). A good sport, she accepted the jibes at her vanilla image with good humor, appearing as herself on several television shows and in movies like "The First Wives Club" (1996).

The bloom began to leave the Kathie Lee Gifford rose in 1996 when the National Labor Committee reported that sweatshop workers (including child laborers) were being used to manufacture her clothing line, which was sold at Wal-Mart. Allegations quickly arose that Gifford herself was responsible for overseeing the sweatshop usage, and though she moved quickly to both deny the allegations and work with federal agencies to oppose such work conditions - as well as divert the funds from her line to her two charities, which supported HIV-infected infants - the notion that the impossibly good Kathie Lee Gifford was somehow responsible for exploiting Third World residents for her own purposes stuck hard. The innuendo was supported in no small part by a gleeful gossip industry and a host of comics, many of whom delighted in the possibility of tarnishing her untouchable image.

Gifford's annus horriblis continued the following year, when the tabloid The Globe reported that Frank Gifford had been photographed and videotaped in a compromising situation with a flight attendant. Though reports by ESPN later revealed that the tabloid had paid the attendant a substantial sum to seduce Gifford, the negative publicity contributed to dropping Kathie Lee Gifford's public opinion down another notch. In 2000, Gifford announced that she was leaving "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" to devote more time to her family and her music career, and was replaced by soap actress Kelly Ripa. Gifford released several CDs, including albums of standards and children's songs, and appeared on Broadway in "Putting It Together," a revue of songs by Stephen Sondheim.

She was also a frequent guest star on network series, starring in a TV movie comedy called "Spinning Out of Control" (2001) as a drug- and alcohol-riddled soap actress who attempts to get her life and career under control. In 2005, she returned to television hosting as a special correspondent for "The Insider" (syndicated, 1994- ) and served as guest host on "Larry King Live" (CNN, 1985- ) and "The View" (ABC, 1997- ). She also presented "Saving Aimee," a musical based on the life of 1920s-era evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, in 2007. In March 2008, NBC announced that Gifford would join correspondent Hoda Kotb as the co-host of the fourth hour of "The Today Show" beginning in April of that year. Much publicity was churned out for Gifford's heralded return to morning programming, and it had the desired effect: Gifford and Kotb's easy chemistry-helped by their on-camera indulging in occasional glasses of wine at 10 in the morning-quickly became a morning TV staple and pop culture trope. On "Saturday Night Live" (NBC 1975- ), Kristin Wiig's boozy, broad impersonation of the new Kathie Lee became a sketch staple. Gifford also appeared in the horror comedy "Sharknado 5: Global Swarming" (Syfy 2017) and the romantic comedy "Love Me To Death" (2018), which she wrote and starred in opposite Craig Ferguson. In December 2018, Gifford announced her upcoming retirement from "Today" after a decade, with April 2019 as the target date of her final show.

Credits

The Baxters

Actor
Lillian Ashford
Series
2024

Homemade Live!

Guest
Show
2023

One on Wine With Kathie Lee Gifford and Jill Martin

Host
Show
2023

God-Powered Potential Bundle

Actor
Show
2023

Kathie Lee Gifford & Sobel: The God of the Way

Actor
Show
2022

The Jesus I Know

Host
Show
2022

FOX News Sunday

Guest
Show
2021

The Women of the Bible Speak

Self
Show
2021

A Godwink Christmas: Miracle of LoveStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2021

The Drew Barrymore ShowStream

Guest
Talk
2020

Then Came YouStream

Actor
Annabelle
Movie
2020
47%

Then Came YouStream

Producer
Movie
2020
47%

Then Came YouStream

Screenwriter
Movie
2020
47%

The Kelly Clarkson ShowStream

Guest
Talk
2019

Access Daily

Guest
Show
2019

Tamron Hall

Guest
Talk
2019

The Truth About Israel: The Roots of Redemption

Actor
Show
2019

Today With Hoda & Jenna

Guest
Show
2019

A Godwink Christmas: Meant for LoveStream

Actor
Olga
Movie
2019

A Godwink Christmas: Meant for LoveStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2019

A Godwink Christmas: Meant for LoveStream

Producer
Movie
2019

A Toast to 2018!

Host
Show
2018

Billy Graham: An Extraordinary Journey

Guest
Show
2018

A Godwink ChristmasStream

Actor
Aunt Jane
Movie
2018

A Godwink ChristmasStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2018

Access Live

Guest
Show
2017

Huckabee

Self
News
2017

Megyn Kelly Today

Guest
Talk
2017

Daily Blast Live

Guest
Show
2017

DailyMailTV

Guest
Show
2017

Live with Kelly and Ryan

Guest
Talk
2017

Sharknado 5: Global SwarmingStream

Actor
Herself
Movie
2017
30%

Sharknado 5: Global SwarmingStream

Self
Movie
2017
30%

When God Winks at You

Actor
Movie
2017

When God Winks at You

Executive Producer
Movie
2017

A Toast to 2016!

Host
Show
2016

Praise

Actor
Show
2016

Praise

Guest
Show
2016

Harry

Guest
Talk
2016

Celebrity PageStream

Guest
News
2016

A Toast to 2015!

Host
Show
2015

Donny!Stream

Guest Star
Series
2015

Difficult PeopleStream

Guest Star
Series
2015
96%

Celebrity Family FeudStream

Guest
Game Show
2015

YoungerStream

Guest Star
Herself
Series
2015
97%

A Toast to 2014!

Host
Show
2014

The Mysteries of LauraStream

Guest Star
Series
2014
24%

The Meredith Vieira Show

Guest
Talk
2014

Late Night With Seth MeyersStream

Guest
Talk
2014

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonStream

Guest
Talk
2014

A Toast to 2013!

Host
Show
2013

The Michael J. Fox ShowStream

Guest Star
Herself
Series
2013
70%

Bethenny

Guest
Show
2013

The Social

Guest
Show
2013

Whose Line Is It Anyway?Stream

Guest
Series
2013

Kris

Host
Talk
2013

Adventures of Serial Buddies

Self
Movie
2013

Home & Family

Guest
Talk
2012

Anderson Live

Host
Show
2012

Steve Harvey

Guest
Talk
2012

SmashStream

Guest Star
Series
2012
68%

Anderson

Guest
Show
2011

The Marilyn Denis Show

Guest
Show
2011

The Talk

Guest
Talk
2010

Access Hollywood Live

Guest
Show
2010

The Huckabee Show

Guest
Show
2010

Hot in ClevelandStream

Guest Star
Christal
Series
2010

The Joy Behar Show

Guest
Show
2009

The Dr. Oz Show

Guest
Talk
2009

Watch What Happens Live With Andy CohenStream

Guest
Talk
2009

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Guest
Talk
2009

Celebrity Family Feud

Contestant
Show
2008

Lipstick JungleStream

Guest Star
Herself
Series
2008
19%

The Celebrity Apprentice

Guest Star
Reality
2008

Today With Kathie Lee & Hoda

Anchor
Show
2007

The Better Show

Guest
Show
2007

30 RockStream

Guest Star
Kathie Lee Gifford
Series
2006
78%

Rachael Ray ShowStream

Guest
Talk
2006

The Martha Stewart Show

Guest
Reality
2005

Hope & Faith

Guest Star
Show
2003

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Guest
Talk
2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live!Stream

Guest
Talk
2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live!Stream

Host
Talk
2003

Live With Regis and Kelly

Guest
Show
2001

Spinning Out of Control

Actor
Amanda Berkeley
Movie
2001

Kathie Lee Gifford: Love Never Fails

Music Performer
Show
2000

Regis & Kathie Lee

Host
Show
2000

Model Behavior

Actor
Movie
2000

Dudley Do-Right

Actor
Kathie Lee
Movie
1999

Hercules: Zero to Hero

Voice
Movie
1999

Kathie Lee: Christmas Every Day

Executive Producer
Show
1998

Lateline

Guest Star
Show
1998

Life Today

Actor
Show
1998

Style & Substance

Guest Star
Show
1998

Mother Goose: A Rappin' & Rhymin' Special

Voice
Jill
Show
1997

The Tom Show

Guest Star
Show
1997

Soul Man

Guest Star
Show
1997

Just Shoot MeStream

Guest Star
Allison Spencer
Series
1997

Theater Talk

Guest
Show
1996

Hey Arnold!Stream

Guest Voice
Series
1996

Life Today With James Robison

Guest
Show
1996

Access Hollywood

Guest
News
1996

Second Noah

Guest Star
Show
1996

Caroline in the CityStream

Guest Star
Series
1995

The Drew Carey ShowStream

Guest Star
Series
1995

Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child

Voice
Show
1995

Touched by an AngelStream

Guest Star
Series
1994

Extra

Guest
News
1994

Diagnosis MurderStream

Guest Star
Series
1993

The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

Guest
Talk
1992

Dateline NBCStream

Guest
Series
1992

Dateline NBCStream

Host
Series
1992

The SimpsonsStream

Guest Voice
Herself
Series
1989
85%

SeinfeldStream

Guest Star
Herself
Series
1989
89%

CoachStream

Guest Star
Series
1989

Entertainment Tonight

Guest
News
1981

20/20Stream

Guest
News
1978

The 700 Club

Guest
Talk
1966

The Best of This Is Your Life

Guest
Show
1952

Today

Anchor
News
1952

Today

Guest
News
1952

News aboutKathie Lee Gifford