In a very tearful announcement made on Tuesday morning, beloved Emmy winning television host and author Kathie Lee Gifford announced that she will be leaving the TODAY’S Show after 11 years.
“In 2008, I joined the ‘Today Show’ family intending to spend one year. But something unexpected happened along the way: I fell in love with a beautiful, talented, extraordinary Egyptian goddess named Hoda, and an amazing group of individuals who work tirelessly and joyfully at their jobs, many of them starting at midnight, creating an unprecedented four hours of live television.
“I stayed year after year making a million memories with people I will never forget. I leave ‘Today’ with a grateful heart but I’m truly excited for this new creative season in my life. Many thanks to all the wonderful people who made the years fly by,” Gifford told NBC News president Noah Oppenheim, according to the memo.
Gifford also thanked her longtime co-host Hoda Kotb and fans during Tuesday’s 10 a.m. hour.
“I want to thank everybody who has watched us all these years as well,” she said. Gifford’s first television role had been as Tom Kennedy’s singer/sidekick on the syndicated version of Name That Tune, from 1974 to 1978. She also occasionally appears on the first three hours of Today and is a contributing NBC News correspondent. She is best known for her 15-year run (1985–2000) on the talk show LIVE! with Regis and Kathie Lee, which she co-hosted with Regis Philbin. She has received 11 Daytime Emmy nominations and won her first Daytime Emmy in 2010 as part of the Today team.
The network announced that Gifford will stay through the morning show’s next anniversary, April 7, 2019.
Source: Page Six