Kathie Lee Gifford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kathie Lee Gifford
Gifford in 2020
Born	Kathryn Lee Epstein (1953-08-16) August 16, 1953 (age 71) Paris, France
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Oral Roberts University
Occupation	Television presenter talk show host singer songwriter actress author
Years active	1970-present
Spouse(s)	Paul Johnson ​ ​ (m. 1976; div. 1982)​ Frank Gifford ​ ​ (m. 1986; died 2015)​
Children	Cody Gifford Cassidy Gifford

Kathie Lee Gifford is a famous American television host, singer, songwriter, actress, and author. She was born Kathryn Lee Epstein on August 16, 1953. Many people know her from hosting the talk show Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee with Regis Philbin from 1985 to 2000. She also co-hosted the fourth hour of NBC's Today show with Hoda Kotb for 11 years (2008–2019).

Kathie Lee has been nominated for 11 Daytime Emmy Awards. She won her first Emmy in 2010 for her work on the Today show. Her first TV job was as a singer on the game show Name That Tune in the late 1970s. She also worked as a reporter for NBC News.

Kathie Lee married Paul Johnson in 1976, but they divorced in 1982. She then married Frank Gifford, a sportscaster and former NFL player, in 1986. Frank Gifford passed away in 2015. Kathie Lee has released music albums and written several books. Her songs and writings often share positive and spiritual messages.

Kathie Lee's Early Life and Journey

Kathie Lee Gifford was born in Paris, France. Her parents were Joan, a singer, and Aaron Epstein, a musician and former US Navy officer. Her family lived in France because her father was stationed there. Kathie Lee grew up in Bowie, Maryland, and went to Bowie High School.

Her family background includes Russian Jewish heritage from her father's side. Her paternal grandmother also had Native American ancestry. Her mother's family had French Canadian, German, and English roots. She is also related to the famous writer Rudyard Kipling.

When she was 12, Kathie Lee watched a film called The Restless Ones. This film inspired her to become a born-again Christian. She has said that she was raised with many Jewish traditions and was thankful for her Jewish background.

In high school, Kathie Lee sang in a folk group called "Pennsylvania Next Right." They often performed at school events. After graduating in 1971, she studied drama and music at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the early 1970s, she worked for singer Anita Bryant as a secretary and babysitter. Her first regular TV job was singing on the game show "Name That Tune." She would sing parts of songs for contestants to guess.

Kathie Lee's Amazing Career

Starting Out in Television

Kathie Lee Gifford's career began in the 1970s. She was a singer on the game show Name That Tune with Tom Kennedy. In 1978, she joined the TV show Hee Haw Honeys. She also worked as a reporter and fill-in host on ABC's Good Morning America in the early 1980s.

Becoming Famous with Live!

On June 24, 1985, Kathie Lee became the co-host of The Morning Show with Regis Philbin. This show was on WABC-TV. In 1988, the show started being shown all over the country as Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee. Kathie Lee became very famous. Throughout the 1990s, people loved hearing her talk about her life at home. She often shared stories about her husband Frank, her son Cody, and her daughter Cassidy.

Kathie Lee and Regis were nominated for the Outstanding Talk Show Host award eight years in a row. This was from 1993 to 2000. Kathie Lee decided to leave the show in 2000. She wanted to try new and challenging work. Her last episode aired on July 28, 2000.

Joining the Today Show Family

On March 31, 2008, NBC announced that Kathie Lee would join their morning show, Today. She became the co-host of the fourth hour, called Today with Kathie Lee and Hoda, with Hoda Kotb. This was her return to morning TV. In many places, her show aired right after her old show, which is now called Live with Kelly and Mark.

Kathie Lee and Hoda replaced Ann Curry and Natalie Morales. When Kathie Lee joined, about 1.9 million people watched the fourth hour of Today. By 2014, the show averaged 2.15 million viewers. This was a 13 percent increase! On December 11, 2018, it was announced that she would leave Today in April 2019. Her last show was on April 5, 2019. She had a party, and her children Cody and Cassidy even sent a video. In 2019, she and Hoda won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host.

Other Fun Projects and Appearances

Kathie Lee has appeared in movies and TV shows. She has also released several music albums. One of her albums, The Heart of a Woman (2000), included the song "Love Never Fails".

She was a spokesperson for Slim Fast diet shakes after her son Cody was born. She also represented Carnival Cruise Lines in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She sang "If my friends could see me now!" in their commercials. In 1994, she played herself in an episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld.

Kathie Lee has done voice-overs for cartoons. She was the voice of Echidna in the 1998 TV series Hercules. She also voiced the Mail Carrier Hero in Higglytown Heroes in 2004.

In 2005, she became a special reporter for The Insider, an entertainment news show. She left this job when she became a co-host on Today. She played Miss Hannigan in a concert version of Annie in 2006. In 2010, she guest-starred on The Suite Life on Deck with her real-life daughter, Cassidy. She also appeared as herself in the 2015 TV movie Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!.

Kathie Lee has written many books about her life. These include Just When I Thought I'd Dropped my Last Egg (2010) and It’s Never Too Late (2020). She also wrote books about her Christian faith, like The Jesus I Know (2021). She has written several children's books too.

What Kathie Lee is Doing Now

Kathie Lee left Today to focus on making movies. She wants to act, direct, and produce films. In 2018, she filmed Then Came You, where she starred with Craig Ferguson. She also filmed a Hallmark Christmas movie called A Godwink Christmas. Kathie Lee wants to make movies about losing a loved one and being a widow. She feels these stories are not often shown in Hollywood. She is working on more movie projects, including sequels to Then Came You.

On April 28, 2021, Kathie Lee Gifford received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This honor was for her work in television. Her star is near her former co-host Regis Philbin's star.

Kathie Lee's Work in Musical Theatre

In the late 1990s, Kathie Lee started working in musical theatre. She wrote songs for a musical called Hats. She also wrote and produced Under The Bridge, which was based on a children's book. In 2000, she released a music album called The Heart of a Woman.

Kathie Lee wrote the story and songs for Saving Aimee. This musical was about a famous evangelist named Aimee McPherson. It first showed in 2007. The show was later renamed Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson and played on Broadway in 2012.

In 2008, Kathie Lee and David Friedman wrote a musical for junior high schools called Key Pin It Real. It's a story about a young girl growing up.

Helping Others and Important Causes

Charity Work

Kathie Lee Gifford is a special helper for Childhelp. This group helps prevent and treat child abuse. She often attends events and raises money for them.

Kathie Lee and her husband Frank Gifford also raised money to build and support two shelters in New York City. These shelters are for babies born with HIV. They named these shelters after their children, Cody and Cassidy.

Supporting Workers' Rights

In 1996, Kathie Lee was earning money from a clothing brand sold at Walmart. Some of this money went to charity. A human rights group said that the clothes were being made in "sweatshops." This means factories where workers have very bad conditions.

Kathie Lee was upset by this report. She said she was not responsible for how the factories made her products. A worker from Honduras even came to the United States to talk about the poor conditions.

After this, Kathie Lee asked the government to investigate. She worked with US government groups to support and create laws. These laws help protect children from bad working conditions in factories. She even appeared with President Bill Clinton at the White House to support efforts against sweatshop abuses around the world.

Kathie Lee's Personal Life

Kathie Lee and Frank Gifford in 1996

Kathie Lee married Paul Johnson in 1976. He was a composer and producer of Christian music. They became well-known in Christian music circles. They divorced in 1982.

On October 18, 1986, Kathie Lee married Frank Gifford. He was a famous American football player and TV sports commentator. Kathie Lee was 23 years younger than Frank. They had two children together: Cody Newton Gifford (born in 1990) and Cassidy Erin Gifford (born in 1993). They also shared the same birthday, August 16. Frank Gifford passed away on August 9, 2015, at their home in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was 84 years old.

In 2017, Kathie Lee Gifford released a song called "He Saw Jesus." She wrote it with Brett James and dedicated it to her late husband. All the money from the song went to Samaritan's Purse, a Christian charity.

Kathie Lee's Music Albums

• 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)

Kathie Lee's Movies and TV Shows

Movies

Television Shows

Kathie Lee's Books

Books About Her Life

• 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 Books

• 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

Books About 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

See also

In Spanish: Kathie Lee Gifford para niños

• New Yorkers in journalism
• Carnival Ecstasy (Sponsor)