Kathie Lee Gifford shared a range of emotions in a poignant Instagram post about two very important people in her life.
The former Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee co-host, 71, acknowledged that Saturday, August 9, was the 10th anniversary of her late husband Frank Gifford’s death in 2015, in addition to being her former Today host Hoda Kotb’s 61st birthday.
“Today is a day for rejoicing! First of all, I rejoice for my precious friend, Hoda Mama, on the occasion of her Birthday,” Kathie Lee wrote. “She is one of the most spectacular people I have ever known and I adore her and I want all her dreams to come true.”
Kathie Lee then addressed the solemn anniversary of losing her late husband Frank, who passed away from natural causes on August 9, 2015. (Kathie Lee and Frank were married for 29 years and shared two children: son Cody Newton, born in March 1990, and daughter Cassidy Erin, born in August 1993.)
Kathie Lee Gifford is cheering on Hoda Kotb as she prepares for her next chapter after Today. “Bittersweet news as my dear friend @hodakotb steps away from the Today Show,” Gifford, 71, wrote via X on Friday, September 27. “Her warmth, laughter, and incredible spirit have brightened our mornings and touched countless hearts. Here’s to […]
“The second thing that I rejoice about, is that my precious husband, Frank, went home to Jesus 10 years ago today and he has been at peace and filled with joy and glory since that very day. I find comfort in that,” she wrote. “So, I’m rejoicing in the Lord and how He cares for His loved ones, for His children. Bless all of you today. And I hope you can find the same kind of Shalom in your lives.”
The Gifford family announced shortly after Frank’s death that the former NFL star suffered from “the debilitating effects of head trauma,” including Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (C.T.E.). Frank played in the NFL for 12 seasons for the New York Giants, and later became a sports analyst on ABC’s Monday Night Football and Wide World of Sports.
NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 23: Actress Kathie Lee Gifford, Frank Gifford and TV Personality Hoda Kotb attend the American Cancer Society’s 2010 “Mother of the Year” award luncheon at The Pierre Hotel on February 23, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Ben Hider/Getty Images) Ben Hider/Getty Images
“During the last years of his life, Frank dedicated himself to understanding the recent revelations concerning the connection between repetitive head trauma and its associated cognitive and behavioral symptoms — which he experienced firsthand,” the family told The New York Times in November 2015.
Since Frank’s death, Kathie Lee and her children have become advocates for C.T.E. research. Frank was previously married to college sweetheart Maxine Avis Ewart — with whom he shared three children — and fitness trainer Astrid Lindley before tying the knot with Kathie Lee in 1986.
Meanwhile, Kathie Lee’s birthday tribute to her Hoda came eight months after her longtime friend and coworkers quit NBC’s Today. (The duo cohosted the fourth hour of Today for 11 years before Kathie Lee left the show in 2019. Hoda hosted her final Today show in January 2025.)
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When Us Weekly asked Kathie Lee in June if she’d consider coming back to Today as Hoda’s replacement, the Daytime Emmy winner explained: “I’ve been back as a guest often because I’ve always got a new book out or a new movie or a new something that I’m working on.”
She continued, “I still have great friends there. A lot of the crew are still the same. And I miss Hoda so, so much. [But] I live in Tennessee most of the time now. I have for about seven years already.”
Today airs on NBC from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET.
