Kathie Lee Gifford was a staple of morning live TV until stepping away from Today in 2019
NEED TO KNOW
She has since returned to acting and writing, with her most recent novel published in March 2026
Gifford is a grandmother of five, and cherishes watching her family grow
Kathie Lee Giffordis a TV legend.
Gifford started her career in soap operas, appearing inDays of Our LivesandAll My Childrenin the 1970s and 1980s. She joinedRegis PhilbinonThe Morning Showin 1985, which was later renamedLive! with Regis and Kathie Lee.
After 15 years, she left the show in 2000, then joinedTodayin 2008. Gifford andHoda KotbhostedToday's fourth hour, which was known for its light-hearted humor and morning glasses of wine.
After 29 years of marriage, Gifford's husband, former football proFrank Gifford, died in 2015. In 2019,she leftToday.
"It's an exciting time for me and I'm thrilled about all the projects that are coming up, but it's also hard," she said on-air. "I've been in this business for 120 years and never worked with a more beautiful group of people who just give, give, give every day."
She's since returned to acting and writing and is focused on being a grandmother to her five grandkids.
So where is Kathie Lee Gifford now? Here's everything to know about her life afterLive!andToday.
Gifford has made surprise appearances atToday
Gifford still swings byTodayon occasion.
In September 2024, Kotb announced she wasleaving the showto spend more time with her family. Her January 2025 farewell episode was filled with warm wishes, including apre-taped video from Gifford, who apologized for being too "busy" to attend.
She was pulling a fast one, of course, popping out from backstage to surprise her former co-host.
"So you fell for that?" Gifford teased. Along withJenna Bush Hager, Gifford toasted Kotb over glasses of white wine.
She's aNew York Timesbest-selling author
Gifford has co-written faith-based books likeThe Rock, The Road and the Rabbi, about her exploration of Israel, andHerod and Mary, about the biblical King Herod and Mary of Nazareth.
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In March 2026, she told PEOPLE she had just finished writing her 37th book. Her newest book,Nero and Paul: How the Gospel of Grace Defeated the Ruler of Rome, was an Amazon bestseller and part of her Biblical non-fictionAncient Evil/Living Hopeseries.
"These are thrillers," she said. "These are epic, epic stories, but in the Bible, they're like black and white tales, with no room for the details."
Gifford continued, "I'm an entertainer at heart, a filmmaker and a songwriter, so imagining the details is what I do. So this is a fun project for me."
Gifford has released multiple albums
Gifford has long worked on music alongside her TV career. After leavingToday, she released an album,The Way, in 2022.
The EP features songs telling stories from the Bible accompanied by music. She previously co-wrote a song, "He Saw Jesus," with country musician Brett James,performing it onTodayin 2017 in honor of her late husband.
Gifford has dated since her husband's death, but does not plan to remarry
Widowhood has been hard, Gifford has said, but she began dating again after her husband's death. However, she has no plans to marry again.
"You aren't supposed to marry everyone you fall in love with. AndI don't want to love easily," she told PEOPLE in May 2025. "I've been loved three times in my entire life. It's the people who have meant something deep and powerful in your life that are the hardest things to get over."
She's a hands-on grandmother
In 2021, Gifford hinted to PEOPLE that she would love children, saying, "One day, the Lord might bless us withlittle tiny feet running around."
By 2026, she had five. Gifford's daughter Cassidy and her husband Ben Wierda welcomed son Finn in 2023 and daughter Rosie in 2025.
Her son Cody and his wife Erika Brown are parents of three — Frank, Ford and Faith — who were born between 2022 and 2025.
"I think that's one of the most joyful things in my life is watching my children be such amazing parents," she said during a January 2026 episode ofMaking Space with Hoda Kotb. "If Frank and I did anything right, it would be that."
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