How Kathie Lee Gifford’s Personal On-Air Stories Inspired Tamron Hall: ‘Nobody Ever Talked About Motherhood Like That’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Kathie Lee Gifford recently reflected on her decision to speak openly about being a mother while hosting the daytime talk show LIVE! WITH REGIS AND KELLY and why she sometimes got “graphic” with her motherhood stories.
Gifford appeared on TAMRON HALL to talk about her life and career, and Hall steered the conversation towards Gifford’s family.
“You would talk about your children, Cassidy and Cody, and I remember the parodies,” Hall started. “And I thought, ‘Wait a minute, this is a woman who is a working mom on TV and she’s doing what we all do at work, we just talk about our children.
“But I was paid to do it,” Gifford laughed.
“And it always rubbed people [the wrong way], it was so peculiar,” Hall continued. “I think about your journey, to be on TV and share your children, share who you are, your authentic self.”
Gifford then explained her decision to be open about being a working parent.
“I happened to be single [when I started LIVE], and then I met Frank, and then we got married and then I had our children a couple of years later,” she explained. “So Regis [Philbin]’s children were already grown.”
Gifford joked that Philbin’s children didn’t want to be mentioned on the air, so she stepped in to provide family stories.
Hall added, “Nobody ever talked about motherhood like that.”
Gifford has always been very open when it comes to discussing her love for her family — including her new grandson!
Movieguide® previously reported:
Kathie Lee Gifford is loving life as grandma to her newborn grandson, Frank Michael.
The former TODAY show host previously announced the exciting news that her son, Cody, and his wife, Erika Brown, had a baby boy in May.
“It’s just beautiful,” Gifford told PEOPLE. “Everybody says it is. I FaceTime with him every day and he’s just a wonderment.
“He’s extraordinary,” she added. “And everybody thinks their own grandchild is the best in the world, so I won’t say anything other than they’re right, their grandchild is.”
Gifford said that she also worked with Erika to make a special nursery for her grandson at her home.
“I helped Erika set up the nursery in our house,” she said. “My mom’s room became the new baby room and everybody rejoiced over that, and I’m sure my mother in heaven was rejoicing all the more.”
