Above: Kathie Lee Gifford makes an appearance on NBC's The Today Show. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Peter Kramer
-------------------------------------------
It has been officially confirmed that former "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" co-host Kathie Lee Gifford is returning to daytime as a co-anchor of the "Today" show's fourth hour, which was introduced in September.
According to Monday's announcement made by Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira, the hosts of the first two hours, Gifford, who left her spot as Regis Philbin's sidekick eight years ago to pursue her singing career and spend more time with her family, will join Hoda Kotb, starting next Monday, April 7.
"I am truly honored to join the Today Show family, many of whom have been friends and colleagues of mine for years," Gifford said in a statement. "And I'm especially looking forward to working with Hoda, a bright and beautiful woman I admire very much. Together I hope we will bring a fresh and fun perspective to the topics that affect all of our daily lives."
The move marks Gifford's third morning show assignment after she reported for "Good Morning America" before becoming Regis Philbin’s co-host on "Live" for more than a decade.
Sitting alongside the program's established stars, Gifford, who is now 54, joked that the timing of her TV return "couldn't be worse" in certain ways: "I'm eight years older, 10 pounds heavier, a half-inch shorter, and just in time for HD television."
Gifford's addition to the crew, currently consisting of Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira, the hosts of the first two hours, Ann Curry and Al Roker, who currently host the third hour, Natalie Morales, who was named a co-anchor of the fourth hour last September and will now move to the third hour and Hoda Kotb, also a co-anchor of the fourth hour, will make the job easier for some of the anchors.
"I am excited to welcome Kathie Lee to 'Today,'" executive producer Jim Bell says. "She is a morning television icon and is on a short list of personalities known by her first name alone. We are looking forward to her signature warmth and sense of humor in the fourth hour."
Asked about what made her decide to come back to television, Gifford, who is married to former NFL star and sports announcer Frank Gifford, credited Kotb as well as the fact that her son, Cody, was leaving for college in the fall.
"Timing is everything in life. It was the right time when I left the show all those years ago, for my family especially, and my son's going off to college this fall," she said, adding with a laugh that he is "6-3 and obnoxious."
Source: eFluxMedia
No comments:
Post a Comment