Kathie Lee Gifford Wants to ‘Set the Record Straight’ About Her Life

Former morning show host teases new documentary, writes new biblical book series

Gayle Jo Carter,

AARP

Comments

Published July 16, 2024

The TV host, actor and author reflects on her career and family and shares how she was “blown away” learning about King Herod for her new book.

Kathie Lee Gifford, 70, is no longer a fixture on morning TV, but that doesn’t mean she’s retired. She’s got several projects in the works and is thankful that her fan base is still interested in what she has to say. She credits her ongoing popularity to being genuine. “I’ve never been anybody other than what I am. Being authentic in today’s world is a huge thing for people, because so few people are authentic,” she says. “People have been very, very faithful to me all these years. I’m so grateful for them.” Two recent projects she’s hoping her fans will appreciate include a documentary being made about her life and the first book in her new biblical history series, Herod & Mary: The True Story of the Tyrant King and the Mother of the Risen Savior. Gifford tells AARP why she decided to write about Herod, who’s participating in her documentary and the life advice from Billy Graham and Paul Newman that still resonates with her today.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What made you want to write a book about Herod?

Book cover that says Kathie Lee Gifford with Bryan M. Litfin, PH.,D; Herod and Mary; Ancient Evil Living Hope

"Herod & Mary" is Gifford's first installment in her "Ancient Evil, Living Hope" book series.

Courtesy Thomas Nelson Publishing

I was blown away by Herod. I learned about Herod during [my first] two-week trip [to Israel], I think it was 2012. I just said, “Oh my gosh, I want to make a movie about him. He’s the greatest story never ever told.” Honestly, if Jesus is the greatest story ever told, which I believe — and many millions of other people do believe that, too — Herod’s the greatest story never told. He’s unbelievable. Life got away from us, as it does, and I wrote 20 other books, did movies and did all kinds of stuff, but I never stopped thinking about it. It was my son [Cody, 34] who said, “Mom, let’s start doing books, and hopefully they’ll become movies about these people that you’re so fascinated by.” The next book is about Nero and Paul of Tarsus.

How do you and Cody work together?

Incredibly well, frankly. I have such respect. He’s a father of two beautiful little boys now. He’s a brilliant writer himself.

In one of your recent books, you wrote about forgiving Howard Stern, who told his radio listeners to boo you when you sang the National Anthem at Super Bowl XXIX in 1995. Is there anything that’s not forgivable?

Anything that anybody’s ever done to me or against me or said about [me] is forgivable. Sometimes I’ll say to somebody, “That was unconscionable, but it’s not unforgivable.” There’s a big difference.

You’ve met and interviewed so many people throughout your career. Is there anyone you’d still love to meet?

There’s really hardly anybody. I’m down to about five people in my life that I actually trust now, because life is hard and people are cruel and people betray you. I just found out yesterday a very exciting thing: They’re doing a documentary on me, [and] Dolly Parton said, “Of course, I’ll do it [be interviewed] for Kathie. I love you, Kathie.” Dolly has been an inspiration and a joy to me. Everybody loves Dolly. I don’t know anybody in the world that doesn’t love Dolly. I’ve had the joy of knowing her all these years. She just makes me cry. She is such a good woman. She’s so loving and so good to everybody.

How did the documentary come about?

I didn’t want to do it, but my son wanted me to do it. He said, “Mom, set the record straight. You saw how all of a sudden Daddy [husband Frank Gifford, who died in 2015] was gone. And it might be you — one of these days it’s going to be. For me and for Cassidy [Kathie Lee’s daughter, 30] and for our kids, Mom, would you please do this documentary?” And I said, “Honey, I don’t want to talk about myself. I’m not like that. I let other people say whatever they want to say.” He said, “Mom, you can set the record straight. Set the record straight about Howard Stern. Set the record straight about Daddy’s infidelity. Set the record straight about being accused of sweatshops [Kathie Lee faced allegations that her clothing line was manufactured in factories with illegal working conditions] — all the awful things that happened through the years.” And I said, and I always say to Cody, “But the Lord knows.” Cody said, “But the world doesn’t, Mom, and it would mean a lot to us.”

Who else is being interviewed as part of your documentary?

Hoda [Today show co-anchor Hoda Kotb] did it a couple of months ago. Hoda’s one of the first ones that did it. Regis [Live cohost Regis Philbin, who died in 2020], of course, is gone, and I would have had Regis do it. Kris Jenner did it. She’s been my friend forever. We’re two different people — completely different people — but we’ve been friends forever.

How did you work through your grief when your Frank died?

Well, Frank’s been gone almost nine years now. He’s been gone a long, long time. And he was dying for 10 years before he died because he had CTE [chronic traumatic encephalopathy]. He’s 28 years older than I am to the day, so I knew that he’d go first. We both knew that. I just didn’t know how or when. My grief for Frank was all pretty much before he died. By the time he did die, and I was holding him in my arms, I was grateful. I was crying tears of joy and rejoicing because I knew where he was and who he was with. He had this look on his face. I said, “He saw Jesus, and Jesus took his breath away.” And so I didn’t have this typical kind of grief that a newly widowed woman would have.

What did you learn from being a caregiver for Frank?

To trust the Lord in everything. [Frank] was in such great shape. He was so healthy. He wasn’t suffering. He wasn’t in pain. I think the hardest thing is when people you love are in pain, and you just want to pull the plug — do anything to keep people you love from suffering. So we were very blessed in that sense.

You’re turning 71 this year. Did you have a big party for your 70th?

No, no, no, no, and I don’t like birthdays, anyway. I think they’re for children. They really are. I’ve never cared about them. I didn’t want a present from anybody. I didn’t want anything. My daughter and her husband took me downtown to Nashville to Jeff Ruby’s [Steakhouse]. They wanted to, and I love Jeff Ruby’s. We had a nice time, but I’m not a big birthday person.

Are you changing anything as you enter your 70s?

Yeah, my Depends [laughs]. No. Am I changing anything? Yeah, I’m changing the people I spend time with. I won’t let any negativity into my life anymore, no toxicity. I’m down to very, very few people that I love, admire, respect and enjoy. It’s not that I judge people, it’s just a type of life. I remember asking my dear, dear friend Billy Graham, “What is the most surprising thing about life, really?” And he said, “That you’ve learned how brief it is. How brief.” Once you’ve held your dead husband in your arms, and you realize that he was breathing five seconds ago and he’s not anymore, everything’s changed. You look at life and you look at mortality differently. You look at what’s important differently. My family means the absolute everything to me, of course, but also my walk with Jesus is about what I leave in this world, what I leave of substance and importance.

Any thoughts of retiring completely?

I learned a long, long time ago from the wonderful Paul Newman: “If you got a pulse, you got a purpose.” And if I still have a pulse in the morning, I wake up, I go, Well, Jesus is not finished with me yet. Even if I want him to be, even if I’m finished, he’s not finished.

%{postComment}%

Gayle Jo Carter is a former entertainment editor at USA WEEKEND, who during her 30-year reporting and editing career, has worked at USA TODAY, Voice of America and Feature Story News. When not interviewing high-profile people, she’s teaching reformer Pilates classes and doing her best to raise two empathetic, curious, healthy young people to adulthood.