Howard Stern Sent Kathie Lee Gifford Roses At Close Of ‘Today’ Run, Ending 30-Year Feud
Howard Stern broke the ice that has lingered between himself and Kathie Lee Gifford for 30 years by sending her roses at the conclusion of her 11-year run on Today, reported Page Six.
Their feud reportedly ended in 2012 after Stern apologized for years of cracking jokes and making comments at Gifford’s expense. In a sweet gesture, the Sirius XM radio host sent Gifford a massive floral arrangement the Thursday before her final day on air alongside Hoda Kotb. Her last day was Friday, April 5.
“This is why pigs are flying all over the place,” Gifford quipped, per Page Six, during her final Today Show appearance when she spoke about the gift from Stern. “I came home yesterday … and this hugest, hugest bouquet of red roses, you can barely get in my house. And I’m going, ‘Oh, who did that?’ … It said: To your auspicious, or your illustrious, or something, career. All the best — take a deep breath — Howard and Beth Stern.”
She then added that the gesture from the Stern family was nice and that despite his past negative comments to the contrary, Gifford remarked she “prayed for” Stern every single day.
Gifford and Kotb celebrated the end of their on-screen partnership with an episode that was a retrospect of Gifford’s time on Today. The hosts quipped about just how many glasses of wine they had consumed over the years (5,300) and toasted to their respective futures.
11 years of laughs and love. Here’s to you, @kathielgifford! #CheersToKLG pic.twitter.com/lEyb4umZzB
— TODAY with Hoda & Jenna (@HodaAndJenna) April 5, 2019
Kotb will remain anchoring The Today Show from 7-9 a.m. and then will continue to co-host the fourth hour of Today, which has been renamed Today with Hoda & Jenna. Kotb will now co-anchor alongside Jenna Bush Hager.
Gifford revealed to People Magazine that she knew it was time to move on from her Today post when she realized she had done the work she needed to do on the series and now felt herself being called to do other things. She said she initially signed a contract to do one year of Today’s fourth hour and that eventually extended into her 11-year run.
The host, who got her start on television as a co-host alongside Regis Philbin, is now writing and producing Christian songs and films. She noted that she was now a “songwriter and director” and that she is working, creating, and doing things that “feed her soul.”
Starting on Monday, we are TODAY with Hoda & Jenna! Be sure to tune in and update your DVR so that you can continue watching us. Make sure to add “TODAY with Hoda & Jenna” to your list! pic.twitter.com/q535GCWnPc
— TODAY with Hoda & Jenna (@HodaAndJenna) April 8, 2019
Her latest film Love Me to Death, co-starring Craig Ferguson, will be released sometime this month. Kathie Lee Gifford was married to football legend Frank Gifford and the couple shared two children together, Cassidy and Cody. Both of their children, now adults, live on the West Coast. Gifford is planning a permanent move to Nashville.
