Katie Lee Gifford is opening up about her famous co-hosting gigs in a whole new way. Before the publication of his next book, I want to be important: your life is too short and too precious to waste, The beloved TV host sat down with ET’s Rachel Smith for an intimate interview where she addressed her decision to leave two of TV’s most popular morning shows.
“Some of it is just instinct, you know? I’ve been in this business for 60 years, so I’ve had a lot of failures and a lot of successes — successes beyond my wildest dreams,” Gifford told ET. “You’re sitting right now with four Emmys that I never dreamed I’d receive. I’m grateful for them, but the older I get, the less that matters, too.”
Gifford co-hosted Live with Regis and Kathie Lee (originally titled The morning show) with Regis Philbin from 1985 to 2000. The two were not just co-workers for 15 years – they remained extremely close friends even the iconic television personality died of natural causes in July 2020.
The show was a huge success, thanks to Philbin and Gifford’s natural chemistry. A beloved part of the show was the first 15 minutes, when the two joked not only about current events but poked fun at each other about their personal lives, like Gifford’s relationship with her husband, the late Frank Gifford, and their two children. – son Cody and daughter Cassidy.
In 2001 Gifford left the show with Philbin remaining on Live with the then new host Kelly Ripa. Gifford moved from ABC to NBC, joining Hoda Kotb as co-host of Today with Kathie Lee and Hoda. Gifford stayed in Today for 11 years before retiring and moving to Nashville in 2019.
“I look at (my Emmys) and I’m grateful, thank you, Lord. But my trophies are the people I touched in life, the people (in) both places,” Gifford says. “I worked with Regis for 15 years and Hoda for 11 years. The trophies we collect in life that really matter are human, you know.”
Gifford adds that “instinct combined with prayer” helped guide her to know the right time to step down from her coveted roles.
“I fill my mind and spirit with scripture so I don’t have to search. I don’t need to Google it, it’s in me, it’s in my DNA”, she declares. “And so every time I came out, whether it was Regis or Hoda, it was because we prayed deeply and God just confirms it as you go along.”
The mother of two says that when people ask her how she could leave her “dream job” twice, she says they assume it was her dream job. “They weren’t. There weren’t talk show hosts when I dreamed as a kid,” she says.
It’s not the first time Gifford has said she dreams of more than hosting TV shows. In August 2022, she told ET about her work with God It’s your dream job.
“So many people, when I left the show with Regis, after 15 unbelievable years with him, 11 years with Hoda, they all said, ‘How could you leave your dream job? Twice at the height of success?’ and I say, ‘You’re just assuming that was my dream job. They never were,’ Gifford explained at the time. “My dream job is what I’m doing now. Now, at 69, like yesterday.”
She continued, “I’ve dreamed of this my whole life and now I can make it happen.”
Since retiring as co-host, Gifford has expanded her resume with work as an actress, director and producer. She released the film, The wayand its companion book, The God of the Pathin 2022.
And in 2021, she received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame just five stars away from Philbin’s.
For Gifford’s 70th birthday last August, Kotb gave Today public an update at his former co-host from Gifford’s former Rockefeller Center stomping ground in New York City.
“You know what, she’s living her best life,” Kotb shared on air. “When she decided to leave here and go to Nashville, she did nothing but create and create new memories. I think she’s happier than ever.”
I want to be important: your life is too short and precious to waste by Kathie Lee Gifford will be available wherever books are sold on April 30.
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