Kathie Lee Gifford Says She Wouldn't Make It Nowadays: EXCLUSIVE
Kathie Lee Gifford was a beloved — and delightfully unpredictable — co-host of TODAY's fourth hour. In an interview with TODAY.com, she says she doesn't think her realness on air would fly nowadays.
“Regis and I would not have lasted five minutes in today’s world. And that’s sad, because entertainers and performers — and especially comedians — need to have the freedom to be funny,” she says.
Before there was "Kathie Lee and Hoda," there was "Regis and Kathie Lee."
Regis Philbin and Gifford began co-hosting a New York morning show together in 1985, and the popular show eventually became nationally syndicated under the name “Live With Regis and Kathie Lee.” The two co-hosted the show together until 2000.
When Gifford visited TODAY on July 17 to promote her new book, "Herod and Mary," she took a moment to reflect on those early days with Philbin.
"I never set out to be famous," Gifford tells TODAY.com in an interview backstage. "My daddy used to say to me when I was growing up, 'Honey, find something you'd love to do and then figure out a way to get paid for it.' And for me, coming into a studio, then sitting down and just talking and being authentic was not work, especially if it was with Regis or Hoda."
Gifford says she always felt a sense of "loyalty" to her co-hosts. Even when she was a new mom, she took short maternity leaves because she knew how hard she and Philbin were working to "build something together."
When asked the secret of their success, Gifford replies, "Fun. Fun is fun. And we had fun at each other's expense, but never at anybody else's."
Today, Gifford says, the world of entertainment seems less "fun" to her.
"I don't know that I could do it anymore in today's world. It's just so mean spirited," she explains. "And you can't say anything that's really on your mind 'cause you're gonna offend somebody — and I've really never cared about that. I've never meant to offend."
Though she is an icon of television, Gifford says she doesn't watch much TV "because people aren't as interesting anymore. They're afraid," she says. "I don't want to live my life in fear."
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