Kathie Lee Gifford is Leaving 'Today'
by EG
Kathie Lee Gifford is leaving the fourth hour of the Today show after hosting the program for more than a decade. Where will she go from here? Read on for details.
Kathie Lee Gifford will leave Today after more than 10 years co-hosting the fourth hour of the NBC morning show.
NBC News chief Noah Oppenheim made the announcement this morning in a memo to staff, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. "Kathie Lee is generously staying with us through the show’s next anniversary, April 7, 2019. We will have much more to share before then about our plans for that hour, which will, of course, continue to include Hoda [Kotb]," said Oppenheim.
Oppenheim called Gifford a "legend," pointing to her "enduring and endearing talents in morning television."
Gifford began co-hosting the 10 a.m. hour of the Today show — known for its celebrity guests and lively, wine-filled conversations — with Kotb in 2008.
"In 2008, I joined the Today show family intending to spend one year," Gifford said in a statement on Tuesday. "But something unexpected happened along the way: I fell in love with a beautiful, talented, extraordinary Egyptian goddess named Hoda, and an amazing group of inpiduals who work tirelessly and joyfully at their jobs, many of them starting at midnight, creating an unprecedented four hours of live television."
Added Gifford: "I stayed year after year making a million memories with people I will never forget. I leave Today with a grateful heart but I'm truly excited for this new creative season in my life. Many thanks to all the wonderful people who made the years fly by."
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
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