Who Is Kathryn Lee Gifford? Her Husband Career and Faith
Kathie Lee Gifford on her first day as co-host of the fourth hour of NBC's 'The Today Show' New York City, USA - 07.04.08 Credit: (Mandatory): Michael Carpenter/ WENN
on her first day as co-host of the fourth hour of NBC’s ‘The Today Show’
New York City, USA – 07.04.08
Credit: (Mandatory): Michael Carpenter/ WENN
Who Is Kathryn Lee Gifford?
Kathryn Lee Gifford is a French-born American television presenter, singer, songwriter, actress, and author.
Biography
Kathie Gifford was born on August 16, 1953, in Paris, France. She was born to American parents Joan (singer) and Aaron Epstein who was a musician and former US Navy Chief Petty Officer.
It appears that making music or beautiful songs is from the family. And this is exactly how Kathryn Lee Gifford grew up to be.
Is Kathryn Lee Gifford Married?
Gifford is currently a divorced woman — she is not married. From the time her last husband died, she hasn’t opened up about any marriage or relationship with anyone.
Kathie has a very noticeable marriage history. She married Paul Johnson who was a composer of Christian music, in 1976. After a breakup in 1982, she married sportscaster and former NFL player Frank Gifford in 1986. Frank Gifford died in 2015 which is said to be of a natural cause.
Achievements, Career Of Kathryn Lee Gifford
Gifford has made many achievements in the movie industry, music industry and publishing industry.
In the 1970s she started gaining stardom by being a vocalist on the game show Name That Tune with Tom Kennedy.
She is best known for her 15-year program host on the talk show Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee, which she co-hosted with Regis Philbin from 1985 to 2000.
Again she made a great headline for her 11-year run with Hoda Kotb, on the fourth hour of NBC’s Today show (2008–2019).
Because of her great contribution to Television programs that impact the lives of people —she has won many awards. On April 28, 2021, Gifford received an honorary award of her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
What Is The Faith Or Religion Of Kathryn Gifford?
Gifford has a strong faith in God in the Christian religion. However, she has been very critical of the doctrines in Christianity.
She became a born again Christian at age 12 after seeing Billy Graham–produced film The Restless Ones
When having an interview with Larry King, Gifford Lee said:
“I was raised with many Jewish traditions and raised to be very grateful for my Jewish heritage.”
According to sources, Gifford’s paternal grandfather was a Russian Jew. She, therefore, has a great interest in reading the Bible from the Hebrew translation.
In the 1970’s she and her husband Paul became famous in Christian music and even appeared on covers of Christian magazines.
Her Christian journey has not ended. Kathryn Gifford is still holding onto the Christian faith through Jesus Christ.
She has responded to a lot of interviews about her faith and beliefs — Gifford never hides her faith in Jesus.
One interview with the Christian Post revealed this to her fans and the general public:
“People say to me, ‘How can you be so bold, aren’t you afraid?’ I go, ‘No, I have a relationship with the living God, He doesn’t change. He’s going to give me the same courage,’” she said.
“I don’t want religion. I don’t want to be around religious people that try to define me, try to minimalize me, and try to put me with a label and stick me on a shelf. That’s not what God has for us!” she added.
She is still a devout Christian and keeps on inspiring people to hold onto the faith. She has written books that cover part of her Christian life to inspire other believers because she has had her share of life challenges in her marriages, career and others.
In 2017, Kathryn Gifford released “He Saw Jesus”, a very personal song Kathie Lee co-wrote together with songwriter Brett James and dedicated to her husband’s late husband.
