Kathryn Lee Gifford is an American television host, singer, composer, occasional actress, and novelist who was born in France on August 16, 1953. She is best known for co-hosting the chat show Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee alongside Regis Philbin for 15 years (1985–2000).
She is also well-known for her 11-year stint co-hosting the fourth hour of NBC’s Today show with Hoda Kotb (2008–2019). She has been nominated for eleven Daytime Emmys and won her first in 2010 as a member of the Today crew.
Early Years
Kathryn Lee Epstein was born in Paris, France on August 16, 1953. At the time, her father was serving in the US Navy as a Navy Chief Petty Officer. Kathie’s mother was American as well. Kathie attended high school in Bowie, Maryland, where the family soon relocated.
Although she was raised in a Jewish home, at age 12 she became a born-again Christian. During her high school years, Kathie Lee joined a folk group as a singer. She pursued music further at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she studied music and acting.
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Career
Kathie Lee rose to prominence in the 1970s as a vocalist on the game program Name that Tune. By 1978, she began appearing on shows such as Hee Haw Honeys.
Kathie Lee’s career began in earnest in 1985, when she replaced Anne Abernathy on The Morning Show on WABC-TV. In 1988, the program was renamed Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee and syndicated nationally.
Kathie Lee had already wed the well-known Frank Gifford at this point, and viewers were frequently treated to stories from inside her family home. Kathie Lee Gifford left Life! with Regis and Kathie Lee in 2000 after a lengthy tenure that has made her one of the best-known ladies in America.
In 2008, Kathie Lee Gifford began co-hosting the fourth hour of NBC’s Today show alongside Hoda Kotb. Kathie Lee Gifford helped increase Today’s ratings by 13 percent in just one year. She quit the series in 2019, the same year she received an Emmy.
Kathie Lee Gifford has appeared in a number of films and other television programs outside talk shows. In 1994, she featured in an episode of Seinfeld as herself. She was a voice actress for the 1998 animated television series Hercules.
In 2006, she starred at Madison Square Garden in a live rendition of Annie. She has participated in numerous additional musical theater shows over the years. In 2010, she starred alongside her daughter in The Suite Life on Deck. Kathie Lee Gifford also made a guest appearance in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!
Further Ventures
Kathie Lee Gifford began a new career as an actress, director, and producer after leaving Today. She intends to produce multiple films in the future.
Kathie Lee Gifford has previously supported Slim-Fast drinks and has appeared in advertising for Carnival Cruise.
Kathie Lee Gifford’s Salary and Net Worth
Kathie Lee Gifford is an American television host, actress, singer, and author with an estimated net worth of $60 million as of 2022. Kathie Lee Gifford is a multitalented individual, although she is most known for her work as a talk show presenter.
She has become one of the most famous television personalities through her hosting stints on NBC’s Today and Lives! with Regis and Kathie Lee. Gifford has been nominated for several Emmys during her career, and she won her first in 2010. In 1986, she married former NFL player Frank Gifford.
What’s the Interesting Thing About Her Relationship?
Kathryn Lee was previously married to the Christian composer Paul Johnson. Although they had collaborated on a variety of musical projects since their 1976 marriage, they divorced in 1982.
Kathie Lee wed Frank Gifford, a guy 23 years her older, in 1986. During the course of their marriage, the couple had two children. Frank passed away in 2015 at the age of 85 from natural causes.
Inheritance
Frank Gifford passed away in August 2015 at the age of 85, leaving Kathie his whole estate. His estate comprised liquid assets of $10 million, a home worth $2.5 million in Florida, and a mansion worth $22 million in Connecticut.
Real Estate
Kathie Lee Gifford has made substantial real estate investments throughout the years, frequently alongside her late husband.
It was reported in 2019 that she had purchased a $3.7 million home in Franklin, Tennessee after selling her Connecticut residence. Franklin is an upscale suburb on the outskirts of Nashville, and a large number of celebrities reside there.