Kathie Lee Gifford Reflects on Leaving ‘Live’ and ‘Today’ in New Interview

In a recent interview with ET, Kathie Lee Gifford opened up about her decision to leave two of the most popular morning shows on television, ‘Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee’ and ‘Today with Kathie Lee and Hoda.’ Gifford, who co-hosted ‘Live!’ with Regis Philbin for 15 years and ‘Today’ with Hoda Kotb for 11 years, said that her decisions were based on a combination of gut instinct and prayer.

‘Part of it is just gut instinct, you know? I’ve been in this business 60 years now, 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 under four Emmys I never dreamed I’d receive. I’m grateful for them but, the older I get, the less that matters as well.’

Gifford said that she prayed about her decisions to leave both shows and that she felt God’s confirmation that it was the right time to move on.

‘I fill my mind and my spirit with scripture so I don’t have to look it up. I don’t have to Google it, it’s in me, it’s in my DNA,’ she declared. ‘And so, each time I have left, either Regis or Hoda, it’s been because it was deeply prayed for and God just confirms as you go along.’

Gifford also said that she doesn’t consider hosting talk shows to be her dream job. ‘They weren’t. There were no talk show hosts when I was dreaming as a young child growing up,’ she said. ‘My dream job is what I’m doing now. Right now, at the age of 69, as of yesterday.’

Since retiring from co-hosting, Gifford has expanded her resume with work as an actress, director, and producer. She released the film, ‘The Way,’ and her companion book, ‘The God of the Way,’ in 2022. And in 2021, she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame only five stars away from that of Philbin’s.

Gifford’s upcoming book, ‘I Want to Matter: Your Life Is Too Short and Too Precious to Waste,’ will be available wherever books are sold on April 30.

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