Kathryn Lee Gifford (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Epstein; born August 16, 1953) is an American television presenter, singer, songwriter, actress, and author. From 1985 to 2000, she and

Regis Philbin Regis Francis Xavier Philbin ( ; August 25, 1931 – July 25, 2020)Archived aGhostarchiveand thWayback Machine was an American television presenter, comedian, actor, and singer. Once called "the hardest-working man in show business", he held th ...

hosted the

talk show A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...

'' Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee''. Gifford is also known for her 11-year run with

Hoda Kotb Hoda Kotb ( ; born August 9, 1964) is an American broadcast journalist, television personality, and author. She was the main co-anchor of the NBC News breakfast television, morning show ''Today (American TV program), Today'' from 2018 to 2025, ...

, on the fourth hour of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

'' show (2008–2019)''.'' She has received 11

Daytime Emmy The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...

nominations and won her first

in 2010 as part of the ''Today'' team. Gifford's first television role was as Tom Kennedy's singer/sidekick on the syndicated version of ''

Name That Tune ''Name That Tune'' is an American television music game show. Originally created and produced by orchestra conductor Harry Salter and his wife Roberta Semple Salter, the series features contestants competing to correctly identify songs being p ...

'' in the 1977–1978 season. She also occasionally appeared on the first three hours of ''Today'' and was a contributing

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...

correspondent. Kathie Lee married Paul Johnson, a composer, arranger, producer and publisher of

Christian music Christian music is a genre of music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christianity, Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence and lament, and its f ...

, in 1976, and they divorced in 1982. She married sportscaster and former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

player

Frank Gifford Francis Newton Gifford (August 16, 1930 – August 9, 2015) was an American professional football player, actor, and television sports commentator. After a 12-year playing career as a halfback, flanker and safety for the New York Giants of ...

in 1986. Kathie Lee has released studio music albums and several books, her music and writings feature spiritual and uplifting themes.

Early life and beginnings

Gifford was born Kathryn Lee Epstein in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, 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 former

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

Chief Petty Officer A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards, usually above petty officer. By country Australia "Chief Petty Officer" is the second highest non-commissioned rank in the Royal Australian Navy ...

. Aaron Epstein was stationed with his family in France at the time of Gifford's birth. Gifford grew up in

Bowie, Maryland Bowie () is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 58,329. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County; i ...

, and attended Bowie High School. Gifford's paternal grandfather was a

Russian Jew The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest po ...

from

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

and her paternal grandmother had Native American ancestry. Her mother, a relative of writer

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

, was of

French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and English descent. After seeing the

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...

-produced film ''The Restless Ones'' at age 12, Gifford became a

born-again Christian To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

. She told interviewer

Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American TV and radio host presenter, author, and former spokesman. He was a WMBM radio interviewer in the Miami area in the 1950s and 1960s and beginning in ...

, "I was raised with many Jewish traditions and raised to be very grateful for my Jewish heritage." During high school, Gifford was a singer in a

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

group, "Pennsylvania Next Right", which performed frequently at school assemblies. After high school graduation in 1971, Gifford attended

Oral Roberts University Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a Private university, private Evangelicalism, evangelical university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, the university is named after its founder, Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian preacher Oral ...

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

, studying drama and music. During a summer in the early 1970s, she was a live-in secretary/babysitter for

Anita Bryant Anita Jane Bryant (March 25, 1940 – December 16, 2024) was an American singer and anti-gay rights activist. She had three top 20 hits in the United States in the early 1960s. She was the 1958 Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner, and a brand ...

at her home in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

. Her first regular appearances on national TV were as a singer on the game show ''

'', hosted by Tom Kennedy in the late 1970s, in which she would sing small portions of songs that contestants would have to identify.

Career

Early career

Gifford's career took off in 1978 when she joined the cast of the short-lived ''

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired from 1969 to 1993, and on TNN from 1996 to 1997. Reruns of the series were broadcast on ...

'' spinoff, ''Hee Haw Honeys''. She was also a correspondent and substitute anchor on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

's ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

'' in the early 1980s.

''Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee''

On June 24, 1985, Gifford replaced Ann Abernathy as co-host of ''The Morning Show'' on

WABC-TV WABC-TV (channel 7) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the ABC network. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, WABC-TV maintains studios in the Hudson Square neighborhood ...

with

. The program went into national broadcast in 1988 as '' Live! 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, when

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

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. Gifford wound up winning the poll, receiving more than four times as many votes as the runners-up, Jaclyn Smith and

Nicollette Sheridan Nicollette Sheridan (born November 21, 1963) is an American actress. She began her career as a fashion model before landing a role in the short-lived American Broadcasting Company, ABC primetime soap opera ''Paper Dolls'' in 1984, as well as st ...

. Philbin and Gifford were jointly nominated eight years in a row (1993 to 2000) for Outstanding Talk Show Host during the Daytime Emmy Awards. Gifford decided to leave the show in 2000. She explained that filling in for

Carol Burnett Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American comedian, actress, singer and writer. Burnett has played dramatic and comedic roles on stage and screen. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Carol Burnett, nu ...

on Broadway and guest-hosting ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

'' had inspired her to pursue more challenging work. The day after she hosted ''Late Show'' on February 24, 2000, she told Regis she had decided to leave ''Live!''. Her last episode aired on July 28, 2000.

''Today with Kathie Lee and Hoda''

On March 31, 2008, NBC announced that Gifford was to join its morning show, ''

'', as co-host of the fourth hour titled '' Today with Kathie Lee and Hoda'', alongside

. This marked her return to morning television; in many markets, she aired directly after her old show, currently called ''

Live with Kelly and Mark ''Live with Kelly and Mark'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts si ...

''. Because the fourth hour of ''Today'' airs live at 10:00 am ET, and ''Live 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. Kotb and Gifford replaced

Ann Curry Ann Curry (born November 19, 1956) is an American journalist, who has been a reporter for more than 45 years, focused on human suffering in war zones and natural disasters. Curry has reported from the wars in Kosovo, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palest ...

and Natalie Morales. In the weeks prior to Gifford's arrival, ratings indicated 1.9 million viewers of the fourth hour of ''Today''. As of 2014, the fourth hour of ''Today'' with Gifford and Kotb averaged 2.15 million total viewers, an increase of 13 percent over the 2008 ratings. On December 11, 2018, it was announced that she would be leaving ''Today'' 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. In 2019, they won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host.

Other media appearances and projects

Gifford has made guest appearances in films and television series, and has several independently released albums on CD, including 2000's ''The Heart of a Woman'', featuring the single " Love Never Fails". She appeared as a spokesperson for

Slim Fast SlimFast is an American company headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, that markets an eponymous brand of shakes, bars, snacks, packaged meals, and other dietary supplement foods sold in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, ...

diet shakes after her son Cody was born. She also was the face of

Carnival Cruise Lines Carnival Cruise Line is an international cruise line with headquarters in Doral, Florida. The company is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. Its logo is a funnel shaped like a whale's tail, with a red, white, and blue color scheme. This ...

in the late 1980s and early 1990s, singing "If my friends could see me now!" In 1991 she christened the Carnival Ecstasy, the 2nd of the Fantasy Class of cruise ships. In 1994, she appeared as herself in an episode of the NBC sitcom ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...

''. She did a number of voice overs most notably as Echidna in the 1998 TV series ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

'' and in

Higglytown Heroes ''Higglytown Heroes'' is an American CGI-animated children's television series created by George Evelyn, Holly Huckins, Denis Morella, Kent Redeker, and Jeff Ulin. Produced by Wild Brain and Happy Nest, the series aired on the Playhouse Disne ...

as the Mail Carrier Hero in 2004. In September 2005 she became a special correspondent on '' The Insider'', a syndicated entertainment magazine television show, ending her relationship with that program upon her co-hosting role with ''Today''. She played the role of Miss Hannigan in a concert performance of '' Annie'' at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

in December 2006. On an episode that aired March 27, 2010, she guest starred on ''

The Suite Life on Deck ''The Suite Life on Deck'' is an American teen sitcom created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan, and developed by Kallis and Pamela Eells O'Connell. The series aired on Disney Channel from September 26, 2008, to May 6, 2011. It is a sequel/ spi ...

'', along with her real-life daughter, Cassidy. She appeared as herself in the 2015 television film '' Sharknado 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, and ''It’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.

Current career

Gifford left ''Today'' in order to pursue a movie career as an actress, director, and producer. In 2018, she filmed '' Then Came You'' in which she co-stars with

Craig Ferguson Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962) is a Scottish-American actor, comedian, writer and television host. He is best known for having hosted the CBS late-night talk show ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' (2005–2014). He is the winner of ...

. That same year, she also filmed a Hallmark Christmas movie for

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Hallmark Mystery (formerly known as Hallmark Movie Channel (HMC) and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (HMM)) is an American digital cable and satellite television channel owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel was spun ...

called ''A 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. Gifford has several projects in the works including sequels to ''Then Came You''. On April 28, 2021, Gifford was honored with a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

for her contributions to the television industry. Her star is located at 6834

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It runs through the Hollywood, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, and Los Feliz districts. Its western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollyw ...

, only five stars away from that of her former co-host Regis Philbin.

Musical theatre

In the late 1990s, Gifford began working in musical theatre. She contributed a number of musical numbers to ''Hats'', and wrote and produced ''Under The Bridge'', based upon the children's book ''The Family Under The Bridge'' by Natalie Savage Carlson. In 2000 she released the album ''The Heart of a Woman'' on Universal. Gifford wrote the book and lyrics for '' Saving Aimee'', a stage musical about evangelist

Aimee McPherson Aimee Elizabeth Semple McPherson (née Kennedy; October 9, 1890 – September 27, 1944), also known as Sister Aimee or Sister, was a Canadian-born American Pentecostalism, Pentecostal Evangelism, evangelist and media celebrity in the 1920 ...

, which premiered in 2007 at the Signature Theatre in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

. The premiere starred actress

Carolee Carmello Carolee Carmello is an American actress best known for her performances in Broadway musicals and for playing the role of Maple LaMarsh on the television series '' Remember WENN'' (1996–1998). She is a three-time Tony Award nominee and a five ...

in the lead role. The show, retitled as '' Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson'', ran on Broadway from November 15, 2012, through December 9, 2012, with Carmello reprising her role as McPherson. On April 30, 2013, Carmello received her third

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nomination for the performance. On April 16, 2007, Gifford was a guest presenter at the Washington, D.C.

Helen Hayes Award The Helen Hayes Awards are theater awards recognizing excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are named in tribute of Helen Hayes, who is also known as the "First Lady of American Theatre." They are ...

Ceremony, honoring contributions and professional accomplishments in theatre. In 2008, Gifford and David Friedman wrote a junior high school musical entitled ''Key Pin It Real''. The play depicts a coming-of-age story about a young girl named Key Pin. The first production took place in December 2008 in

Kendallville, Indiana Kendallville is a city in Wayne Township, Noble County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 10,222 as of the 2022 census. History Kendallville was founded in 1849, and the post office had already been in operation in the area sin ...

, at

East Noble High School East Noble High School is a public high school located in Kendallville, Indiana and is the only high school that is part of the East Noble School Corporation. It serves to educate more than 1,000 students from the cities and towns of Rome City ...

. In 2011, Gifford was working on a musical adaptation of '' It's a Wonderful Life'' with John McDaniel; McDaniel is composing music while Gifford is writing lyrics.

Other endeavors

Charity

Gifford is a celebrity ambassador for the non-profit organization

Childhelp Childhelp is a US non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse. Founded in 1959 as International Orphans, Inc. by Sara O'Meara and Yvonne Fedderson, Childhelp is one of the largest non-profit child abuse preven ...

. She regularly makes appearances at fund raisers and events for the child abuse prevention and treatment organization and is an ardent supporter. Frank and Kathie Lee Gifford raised the money to build and continued to financially support two shelters in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

for babies born with

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

, or a congenital

crack cocaine Crack cocaine, commonly known simply as crack, and also known as rock, is a free base form of the stimulant cocaine that can be Smoking, smoked. Crack offers a short, intense Euphoria (emotion), high to smokers. The ''Manual of Adolescent Sub ...

addiction. These shelters were named in honor of her children, Cody and Cassidy.

Labor rights activity

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's

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

group called the

National Labor Committee The Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights, formerly known as the National Labor Committee (until 2011), was a non-profit organization, non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) that investigates human and labor rights abuses committe ...

reported that

sweatshop A sweatshop or sweat factory is a cramped workplace with very poor and/or illegal working conditions, including little to no breaks, inadequate work space, insufficient lighting and ventilation, or uncomfortably or dangerously high or low temperat ...

labor was being used in manufacturing the Kathie Lee Gifford branded clothing. Gifford called Kernaghan's report "a vicious attack" on an episode of ''Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee''. Gifford explained during this broadcast that she was not responsible for the contract manufacturers that made her products. 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. Kernaghan reported that a worker in

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

smuggled a piece of clothing out of the factory, which had a Kathie Lee label on it. 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 athie Lee If she's good, she will help us." 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 President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

in support of the government's initiatives to counter international sweatshop abuses.

Personal life

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. On October 18, 1986, Kathie Lee married a second time, this time to

, 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) and Cassidy Erin Gifford (born August 2, 1993). They also shared the same birthday of August 16. Frank Gifford died on August 9, 2015, from natural causes at their

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...

, home at the age of 84. In 2017, Kathie Lee Gifford released the song "He Saw Jesus", co-written with songwriter

Brett James Brett James Cornelius (born June 5, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer based in Nashville. James' compositions have been credited on 494 recordings by a wide variety of artists. Signed to Career Records (a ...

, which she dedicated to her late husband. All proceeds from the song went to the international

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Christian humanitarian aid charity

Samaritan's Purse Samaritan's Purse is an evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization that provides aid to people in physical need as a key part of its Christian missionary work. The organization's president is Franklin Graham, son of Christian evangelis ...

Discography

(as Kathie Lee Gifford on all albums except where indicated) *1978: ''Finders Keepers'' (as Kathie Lee Johnson) *1993: ''It's Christmas Time'' *1993: ''Christmas Carols'' *1993: ''Sentimental'' *1993: ''Christmas With Kathie Lee Gifford'' (double album) *1995: ''Dreamship: Lullabies for Little Ones'' *1995: ''Kathie Lee's Rock 'N' Tots Cafe: A Christmas "Giff"'' *2000: ''Heart of a Woman'' (as Kathie Lee) *2000: ''Born For You'' (as Kathie Lee) *2001: ''Goodnight, Angel'' (as Kathie Lee) *2004: ''Gentle Grace'' *2009: ''Everyone Has a Story'' (as Kathie Lee Gifford & Friends) *2009: ''My Way Home'' *2010: ''Super Hits'' *2013: ''Scandalous, The Musical'' (lyrics by) *2017: ''The Little Giant'' *2020: ''Then Came You'' (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack with Brett James & Sal Oliveri)

Filmography

Films

Television

Written works

Biographical *1976: (as Kathie Epstein) ''The Quiet Riot'' *1992: ''I Can't Believe I Said That!: An Autobiography by Kathie Lee Gifford'' *1995: ''Listen to My Heart: Lessons in Love, Laughter, and Lunacy'' *2010: ''Just When I Thought I'd Dropped My Last Egg: Life and Other Calamities'' *2014: ''Good Gifts: One Year in the Heart of a Home'' *2018: ''The Rock, the Road and the Rabbi'' *2020: ''It’s Never Too Late: Make the Next Act of Your Life the Best Act of Your Life'' Cooking *1993: (with Regis Philbin) ''Cooking With Regis & Kathie Lee: Quick & Easy Recipes From America's Favorite TV Personalities'' *1994: (with Regis Philbin) ''Entertaining With Regis & Kathie Lee: Year-Round Holiday Recipes, Entertaining Tips, and Party Ideas'' Christian faith *2004: ''Gentle Grace: Reflections & Scriptures on God’s Gentle Grace'' *2021: ''The Jesus I Know: Honest Conversations and Diverse Opinions about Who He Is'' *2022: (with Rabbi Jason Sobel) ''The God of the Way: A Journey into the Stories, People, and Faith That Changed the World Forever'' Children's books *1997: ''Christmas with Kathie Lee: A Treasury of Holiday Stories, Songs, Poems, and Activities for Little Ones'' *2010: ''Party Animals'' *2011: ''The Three Gifts: A Story About Three Angels and the baby Jesus'' (co-written with Michael Storrings) *2011: ''The Legend of Messy M'Cheany'' *2018: ''The Gift That I Can Give'' *2020: ''Hello, Little Dreamer''

In popular culture

A fictionalized version of Kathie Lee Gifford appears in the ''

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...

'' episode " Weight Gain 4000", voiced by Karri Turner. Gifford later re-appears in the episodes " City on the Edge of Forever", " The Return of Chef", "

200 Year 200 ( CC) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Victorinus (or, less frequently, year 953 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 200 for this y ...

" and " 201".

References

External links

* * * *
Kathie Lee Gifford discography (Music City)

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gifford, Kathie Lee 1953 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American composers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singer-songwriters 20th-century American women writers 20th-century evangelicals 20th-century American women composers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American women writers 21st-century evangelicals 21st-century American women composers Actresses from Maryland American evangelicals American expatriates in France American people of English descent American people of French-Canadian descent American people of German descent American people of Russian-Jewish descent American performers of Christian music American television actresses American television reporters and correspondents American television talk show hosts American women singer-songwriters American women television journalists American women non-fiction writers Beauty pageant hosts Christian music songwriters Converts to Christianity from Judaism Converts to evangelical Christianity NBC News people Olympic Games broadcasters Oral Roberts University alumni People from Bowie, Maryland Singer-songwriters from Maryland Comedians from Paris Comedians from Maryland Actresses from Paris American film actresses