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About Kathie Lee Gifford

Born Kathryn Lee Epstein in 1953, Kathie Lee Gifford is a singer and television personality best-known for co-hosting Live with Regis and Kathie Lee with Regis Philbin.Throughout the 1970s, as Kathie Lee Johnson, Gifford gained notoriety as a singer on the game show Name That Tune, and in the early '80s, she could be seen as a correspondent on ABC's Good Morning America. In 1984, her profile was raised significantly when she became the spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Lines in a number of TV ads. In 1985, she began co-hosting a New York morning show with Regis Philbin that would eventually become Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. The show began airing nationally on ABC in 1989, and Gifford remained as host until 2000. Since Live, Gifford has made guest appearances in films and television series, and has several independently released albums on CD, including 2000's "The Heart of a Woman, featuring the single "Love Never Fails". In September 2005 she became a special correspondent on The Insider, a syndicated entertainment magazine television show, although she no longer appears regularly. Gifford appeared as Miss Hannigan in a concert performance of Annie at Madison Square Garden in December 2006. On April 7, 2008, Gifford started co-hosting the fourth hour of NBC's Today Show with Hoda Kotb. They replaced Ann Curry and Natalie Morales. The show's ratings increased by 14 points within the first two months of Gifford's arrival. Kathie Lee is a celebrity ambassador for the non-profit organization Childhelp. She regularly makes appearances at fund raisers and events for the child abuse prevention and treatment organization and is an ardent supporter. Kathie Lee and her husband raised the money to build and continue to financially support two shelters in New York City for babies born with HIV or a congenital crack cocaine addiction. These shelters were named in honor of her children, Cody and Cassidy.