Why I Left The Show
With her upcoming appearance on Live With Regis & Kelly next month, Kathie Lee Gifford is speaking out for the first time on why she really left the show.
"My daddy was dying, and I was not comfortable making it public," Gifford tells the New York Post. "I had a very personal reason for not going through yet one more painful experience in a public way."
Her father was suffering from a progressive brain disease similar to Alzheimer's called Lewy Body Dementia (LBD). He died in 2002. "I knew it was going to be a horrendous family experience. I just had to have that time with him without cameras in my face and without having to explain things," Kathie Lee reveals. "I wanted my daddy to be able to die with the dignity in which he had lived his life."
Kathie Lee's September 14th appearance marks the 20th anniversary of the show and the first time she's been on since she left in July of 2000.
"I was so closely associated with the show and so closely branded with it that it was extremely wise for them to distance themselves from me in order to give Kelly [Ripa] a chance to make an impact — which she's done beautifully," Gifford said.
They also distanced themselves from you cuz everybody hated you by the time you left, woman. You were the Star Jones of the show!
Update: From PerezHilton.com reader Christina.
"Just cause I think she's a self-righteous bitch I thought I'd call her out on her "get out of the spotlight" excuse. Most people don't release and album the same year they want to get themselves out of the spot light and spend more time away from the cameras with their ailing fathers. Kathy lee released "The Heart of A Woman" the same year she left Regis, and her excuse for leaving the show then was to work on her music career. It had nothing to do with her "daddy". Thought you'd enjoy the tid-bit."
[Image via Mavrix Online.]
When Will He Go Away???
Fully Blended
haha.
5th
I hate her
Why does anybody care?
I wonder if it bothers her that nobody misses her being on that show. What is her talent anyways??????????????
Kathie Lee is one of Satan's Little Helpers. Hear me now, and believe me later!
My Blog —–> reverendramona.wordpress.com
this is too funny but it is a good reason
test to see if im' first
What the hell age is Kathy wanting to look like??? That dress is way to bold for a woman of her age!!!
Wait…didn't she try to start up a singing career RIGHT after she left the show as well as a movie career which would have caused even less time for her and her "daddy" and even more time for her shiteous self in the spot light?? I think she's still a self-rightous bitch who just needs to drop the act. That's all it is, that's all it ever was. Then again that's hollywood. If Regis and Kathy-Lee ever really counted as hollywood.
What grown woman still refers to their father as "daddy"? Sounds like something she'd call her cheating-ass husband Frank Gifford in bed.
I hope she dies in a fire.
first
I think thats a very good reason to have left
FIIIIIIRST???
FIIIIIIRST???
first yay
1st.
FIIRST =) !
SHE IS JUST EVIL
who cares?
I hated the show when this corpse was on it and I hate it now. Not watching it when she comes back from the dead either.
hey Perez, how much fatter did you get yesterday?
Daddy??????? how old are you??
GROW the fuck up you old douche! Daddy is for 2 year olds dumb cunt!
she is a whore
she is one of the devil little helpers
she is a cunt
she is one of the devil little helpers
sh is a slut
SOUNDS LIKE A LIE TO ME…GO AWAY..PLZ
Looks pretty good in that dress for a women of her age.
Who, over the age of 13 calls their father "daddy"…. this chick makes me sick.
No they didn't hate her. Why was she on it for so long? How insensitive of you to give us all a sad story about how her father spent many years dying with his brain wasting away, and then to add at the end that everyone hated her. You need a real job.
unless that dress is a costume- skating or halloween- she needs to LOSE it… the hair is tarty, too. kath- frank is going to fuck other chicks no matter how slutty you dress. and, don't embarass yourself with that lie of a story- as someone else here said- you were trying to promote a million things after you were booted off of the show. have some decency and don't disgrace your family with that lie about daddy… if you believe it, stop lying to yourself. you left the show b/c you knew everyone hated you and you couldn't get what you wanted. period. plus, you probably wanted to babysit that whore of a husband… don't bother. he'll cheat again and again and again.
You people disgust me. This was likely the real reason that she left and anyone who knows anything about Ms. Gifford would know that she is 100 percent about her family. The reason most people hated her is the same reason she is to be appreciated: she did have it all. She had two beautiful children, an extremely devout Christian upbringing and she had an amazing run as the co-host of one of daytime's longest running television shows. It shouldn't be forgotten that until Ms. Gifford joined the show, Live was only broadcast in NYC. Her persona made it appealing to hundreds of millions of syndicated viewers.
People who hate Ms. Gifford are similar to those who hate Ms. Martha Stewart. Ms. Gifford's husband cheated on her and she forgave him. She had been writing and performing religious movies and books for years before she left Live! She is an amazing Christian woman. No wonder so many of the people who frequent this site despise her. She's all that they cannot be. People hate when famous, beautiful, amazing people hold up a light and let them see how sad, empty and unrewarding their own pathetic lives are.
I'm glad to see that she has released a statement regarding her departure from the show and I'm glad they had the intelligence and decency to realize that without her, they never would have been attained this 20-year milestone. There is a reason Mr. Regis Philbin has never made a disparaging remark about her. He loves her and realizes she's a big part of why he helped so many Americans start their days.
I watched her with Regis for years and while I was not a huge fan of Kathie Lee's singing, I thought that she was a very loving and caring person with a great sense of humor. She does a huge amount of charity work and so what if she wants to refer to her father as "daddy". I think that it's great that she had a father that meant that much to her. She also went through that horrible time with her husband in front of the camera with the grace that most women wouldn't of had. I'm sure that the fact that she is a Christian helped her through it.
haha thats funny. i bet she thought no one would remember. oops almost no one did till its on perez now every one ( that matters) will know.
She reminds me of Star Jones and Elizabeth Hasselbeck - so self righteous.
EH has always reminded me of her. When something happens to EH everyone will be thrilled because she comes off as so closed minded and self righteous. Sad, wrong but very true.
she has cockroach eyes
I stopped watching the show because I couldn't stand this media whore and her incessant ranting about her kid Cody (?).
I can't stand Kelly Ripa either. She's just ANOTHER Kathy Lee to me
#32 - If you want to believe your self-righteous sermon go right ahead! It's not going to make it true just because you believe it. I don't care for her because I think she's phoney and obnoxious. I DO NOT FEEL that my life is in any way sad, empty and unrewarding when I see Kathy!! That's hysterical! Are you her?
Seriously, the show is an hour long… and it's early in the morning! That leaves her with all day to do whatever else she wanted to do. Whether it was to be with her daddy or to pursue her career. Kelly Ripa has a family had a show and was doing a sitcom series at the same time.
Christina doesn't know what she is talking about. Kathy Lee didn't "release" the album; the record company did. And, often, artists will record albums over several years or the record company — for one reason or another — will hold a record from being released after the artist has recorded it (perhaps they need to work on it some more) for even several years. So it's not only possible but probable that Kathy Lee recorded the album in question BEFORE her father got the diagnosis and BEFORE she even knew she would quit the Regis and Kathy Lee show…and it was the choice of the record company to release it after she had made the decision to leave the show and keep a low profile…and please don't tell us, Christina, that Kathy Lee kept in the public eye because she went out and publicized the album because if she did it was due to a contractual obligation that all artists sign with a record label promising to promote an album when it comes out.
Pluh-eeeeeze! Are you kidding? The ONLY one who would have made a big deal of "daddy dying" would have been Gifford HERSELF! We were SICK of her and her perfect everything…except for Frank's wandering eye–what was he thinking when he had perfection right at home?!! (pukebucket) Please. I can't BELIEVE they'd bring this old woman back! I loved living in a world without her!
Kathie Lee's husband screwed around on her because the SELF IMPORTANT bitch sucked in bed - Fellatio and anal sex are the only way to keep FAMOUS men happy …..
Diss Kathie Lee all ya like but she was better than that homophobe Kelly Ripa. Something about that one gets right on my tits. At least Kathie Lee took pains to look nice every day, Ripa looks like shes on her way to Walmart. Ho.
She and Kelly Ripa and both hideous. Regis is too old and I am sick of hearing about his every sneeze. It is too bad he had the heart problem but we are SICK OF HEARING ABOUT IT.
Kathy Lee Gifford tried her hardest to get her homely son, Cody, into show business. That was a big flop and the kid seems to have serious problems - sexually. I was horrified to accidentally come across his MySpace page!! OMG! Besides being so unattractive IMO, he is untalented and appears to be severely disturbed; that is understandable however, given the parents.
Just to let you know, heart of a woman was an INDEPENDENTLY released album meaning she didn't have the type of contracts and obligations to a major label that most artists have. She chose for it to be released and she was incharge of the promotion for it. That is the difference between getting signed or essentially signing yourself, so get your facts straight before bulldozing through my comment sweetass. And also the point that I am trying to make is that she wasn't leaving the show for a dying father though her father very well may have been dying. She was leaving the show because she felt it was better to bow out then get kicked out and she thought she was talented enough to make it on her own, which is the sad but true foggy vision that hollywood gives so many people. Thank you, you may step down from your high horse.
What's with you people! OMG I can't believe the things you say about people. Do you know her in person! NOT. Kathy is a wonderful lady and a wonderful mother. Cody is a very nice young man and a terrific son. Look in the mirror people before you start criticising.
Umm..Maybe she released the album the same year..because she wanted to take the attention of the media away from her Father???..and she just said…I didn't want anyone to know about my DADDy??…Okay maybe im confused..or not reading it right…..Im probably right….lol…So Perez of me..anywayssssssssss
So yeah i agree with 32 and 33..She wasn't the fucking bad..I did get annoyed with her singing and talking abouther kids every 5 fucking seconds..at least she new how to wear pantie's and cross her legs!!
Oh, please. Give her the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps she did leave for the reason she is giving & yes, releasing the album still enabled her to remain "out of the public eye" in the sense that she could control the publicity & it wouldn't entail a daily scrutinizing of her activity the way that remaining on the show would. I'm not a fan - just someone who has lost a parent & what she is saying IS believable despite the doubters.
What kind of grown ass woman still refers to her father as "daddy?"
Wasn't she also starring on broadway at that time as well, or was that in during her last years on the show? I could never watch the show when she was on. She drove me crazy.
I freaking hate this woman - GO AWAY, KATHY LEE GIFFORD!! please
She completed the music CD BEFORE she left. It was released AFTER she left the show. Doing other things in show business does not bring you and your private life in the living room of America like a daily talk show does. She is telling the truth as she is too emotional to keep her father's health to herself and would have talked about it on air. Give the lady a break. Look up all the charitable work she has done and continues to do for the poor. She's a kind person that forgave her cheating ass husband who brought her shame and that was aired for all to see.
She should crawl into a hole and die and take Regis and Ripa with her.
There is something VERY DISTURBING about an OLD LADY who keeps referring to her deceased father as "daddy" all the time.
I think when Kathie lee got a spanking-she liked it!
The fact that 60 morons have to scream "first" for every comment section indicates the thinking level of some readers. Having met Kathie Lee, among many others mentioned on this site, I can tell you that she is generous, self-deprecating, genuinely funny, and an absolute lady. Her children are polite, well-spoken, and genuinely care about the world around them. And she'll take you out if you mess with her family.
Nobody thought it was odd when J.R. Ewing called Jock "Daddy" so get over it. That's how some families and cultures are, especially in the south. I love my Daddy too.
P.S. For those who think this is how "Hollywood is", none of these players live in Hollywood nor is the show taped there. It's all in New York.
I actually know Kathie Lee, she lives less than a mile from me. Contrary to her public image, she is a great person with a ton of talents….not to mention a good mom. She gives a lot of time to charity and she isn't attention-seeking. She and her whole family are very religious - so what if her marriage hasn't been perfect- I give her credit for having salvaged it. You're way off base on this one.
#55– I don't know how to tell you this, so I'll be gentle.
JR was not real, he was a character being played by an actor on a TV show. I know this must really be devastating to you but be strong, you will get through this. There is also no such thing as Santa Claus either. Moron.
KATHYLEE AND KELLY R CAME OUT OF THE SAME MOLD THEY BOTH COULD GIVE TWO SHITS ABOUT ANYONE BUT KATHYLEE AND KELLY R…..I CANT STAND BULL SHIT..IF KATHYS STORY WAS TRUE MY DADDY HOW OLD IS SHE?WHY WAS SHE JUMPING INTO MAKING MOVIES AT THAT TIME WHICH TOTALY FLOPED
To #55 That's great…I am not personally attacking you or your daddy. I think it is wonderful that you have a great relationship and a strong bond. I too love my family very much and would sacrifice every ounce of myself for them. I just wouldn't call my daddy, daddy in an interview. As for your dig about the "hollywood is", I'll have you know that I am originally from the NY area and I realize that this show is/was when she was on filmed in NY however I am talking about Hollywood as the lifestyle one adopts when putting themselves in the limelight. It is the idea that you are now greater then the average person and above us the normals because of your so called celeb status, not where your located on a map. Oh and one more thing, I never claimed to have met Kathy Lee or said she was a mean person cause she was nasty to ME. I simply said this is my opinion about her, I am making it public and take it for what it is worth. I would also like to suggest that those of you who come to this site and leave insulting comments to the readers of this site step back for a moment and realize that by reading the site and leaving comments on it you become one of the people you insult, therefore take in what you dish out. I visit this site daily cause I hate my job, it gives me a much needed escape from the dull clients that I have to deal with day in and day out. I don't post comments everyday in fact I think this is the only time I ever have posted something. In fact I'm doing so because I have a lot on my mind (hubby's coming home from overseas haven't seen him in 4 months) and quite frankly taking it out on Kathy Lee who may NEVER read this isn't that awful so everyone stop getting so excited about some harsh words being tossed around about a washed up has-been and let this never was enjoy her moment on the perezhilton.com website!!
I
Right on, Perez!!!
So why reveal it now, unless she's trying to play it for something. From leaving the show to the spring of 2002, didn't she host the Daytime Emmys, book numerous appearances on Rosie, The Tonight Show. . .Letterman. . .then appear in no less than 7 TV episodes (see IMDB), do her Wal-Mart clothing and furnishing line, TV commercials for Carnival Cruises, release two albums in 2000, Heart of a Woman, and Born for You, continue to do her product line of clothing and home furnishings for Wal-Mart, her TV ads for Carnival Cruise Lines, her skincare line, Natural Advantage, that she sold on QVC, produce and appear in Christmas specials and appear onstage in Thumbs at the Helen Hayes Theater in Nyack, NY? ? ? And of course she also had time to be a mother, a wife. . blah, blah. . .Saint Kathie, oh please, pardon me while I puke on trying to swallow the shiz you are shoveling. Cry those crocodile tears, honey, boo hoo, hoo, boo hoo hoo. . .Me thinks you are a shameless phony.
#56 Please move. Honestly. Don't even get me started on religion and Kathy Lee, she's the type of woman who thinks she is a God not believes in one. I am a religious person, but I don't have to shout it from the rooftops or sing it from the mountains. Religion is a mask that she hides behind and so many other evils have hid behind because they know that most people are afraid to confront GOD. I however am not. Bring her on. I think that #62 is right if her father dying was the real reason then why bring it up now. This is only making her look worse. If she wanted the story kept private then she should have kept it that way and if she wasn't trying to save face or so (once again) self-righteous then she wouldn't care what we, the little people, thought of her. HOWEVER, we the little people are the ones who keep the money rolling in for her and her precious little Cody by buying her sweatshop line (is that still out?) and her praise the lord CD's, without being in the spotlight she is nothing and nothing can't make money. She is all about money otherwise she would be satisfied with being a nothing! Do you see what we are trying to get at here?? No probably not because you stuck inside your little pink houses and can't get out of the suburbs to understand what life is all about. Go ahead and move next door to Kathy Lee, but when she tells you to drink the Kool-aid I'd think twice.
Not only did she release that hideous album that year, she also got rid of her bra. ICK! She's a grown woman…put it back on already!
She is such a hypocrite. She said on television that she and Frank had their honeymoon before the wedding. If she is as religious as she claims then she would know that premarital sex is a sin. She never got along with Gelman and had no qualms about making it obvious. She also complained that she had to go out often for charity events. She didn't have to show up, she choose to do it. If you have such a charitable nature, you would not complain. I would love to show up at some of the charity events, but would anyone pay to see me at an event? I know the answer to that. She realized that the public was getting sick and tired of her. If she did not pontificate so much, we may have liked her a little bit more. She always claimed to have the best husband, best children, the best of it all. Even if it was true, nobody likes a showoff.
Will they be having Cyndi Garvey back since she was the first host with Regis?
For her to use her dead father as an excuse is revolting. If it was private then why not now?
When I look at her I simply vomit!!!!!!
she also did a lame movie with howie mandle right after she quite.
Kathy Lee made a Royal Ass of herself and her Husband when she was on the show with Regis. I laughed when she found out about Frank banging that stewardess. WHAT A JOKE SHE IS. Is Frank still alive?????????????????
My family used to frequent Nantucket in the summertime, where Kathy Lee owns a substantial estate on the tiny 5 by 1 mile island.
Apparently she made quite a impression on the locals, because all too frequently she would be the topic of conversation as being a raging bitch.
Hey y'all - I happen to know that kathie lee is a sweet and kind individual - via folks who couldn't care less! She had/has real life aspirations and dreams like all of us. One can have tragedy and strive for growth at the same time. I think she's great. Maybe somewhat irritating, but great.
Our pal Christina said it all. I so remember her leaving to work on her singing career. How did that go for ya Kath? She is back peddling bacause she knew she made a poor choice. Now she is a nobody & nobody gives a shit that her husbands is a cheater or if she employs children to cut & sew her clothes. Oh wait, she doesn't have that cloting line anymore either. Now I just have to decide who was more irritating, Kelly or Kathie. At least Kathie's husband didn't try to ride her coat tails like that washed up actor Mark Rippa!!
I would take Kathy Lee ANYDAY over Kelly Ripa - Ripa is a phony bitch and I cannot stand her - she always talks about how THIN the guests are… and implies that she is such a fat cow - yeah right… she is lipoed to heck… in addition, she knows she's a homophobe…. she was so crappy to Rosie… and if Ripa mentions her friggen Hamptons home again, I am going to puke. Ripa was a "nice" girl in the beginning… but now she is just a superficial cow.
christina 1, kathie lee 0. another job well done by sir perez and his web cohort.
I thought she left be cause Regis and Gillman relised she didn't have a speck of talent (except for drive Frank to other women)?
#32 …The Other JC? Son, what have you been up to?
Holy Cow!
GOD WHO CARES?!! it's been years since she's been off this show and she's still vomiting up excuse after excuse? obviously NO ONE gave 2 shits about it, otherwise they'd be hangin onto her tits trying to make her stay on the show
Lying bitch! She wants the attention but she didn't get it. I think Star Jones
is the Kathy Lee of the morning show!
IT WAS LEAVE ON YOUR OWN, OR BE ESCORTED OUT.
thank UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
#76 LOL I almost peed! That was fantastic.
I thought Kathie Lee died or something?
So now she's back huh? Like her CD she released wasn't enough…