Kathie Lee Gifford Shares Big Update About Her Dating Life

Kathie Lee Gifford has been opening up about her love life, admitting that she still hangs out with her unnamed ex, who she split from in April 2024 after several years of dating.

Speaking to People at the QVC Celebrates Launch Of Q50 Age Of Possibility Platform in Santa Monica, California, on Wednesday (May 14), the 71-year-old TV host said she isn’t interested in dating right now and is happy simply hanging out with her ex as friends.

“No, I’m not,” she said when asked if she’s interested about jumping back into the dating pool. “I had an unbelievable marriage and was in a relationship that I thought would be the last one of my life, the love of the rest of your life, and that didn’t work out.”

The former Today co-host added, “But I was with him all day yesterday, we’re still great friends… We were together almost three years, and it just wasn’t meant to be forever. But we love each other, so you just take a day at a time.”

Gifford has been married twice, first to composer Paul Johnson from 1976 to 1983. She then tied the knot with NFL player and football commentator Frank Gifford in 1986 and was with him until his passing in 2015. They had two children together, Cody Newton Gifford (born March 22, 1990) and Cassidy Erin Gifford (born August 2, 1993).

Frank Gifford and Kathie Lee Gifford; Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

The Emmy-winning host confessed that she doesn’t “love lightly,” noting, “I’ve only been in love three times in my life and the first two are dead. So, [the ex] is basically all I’ve got. We’re back to being great friends and it’s perfect…. He’s a doll.”

Gifford isn’t completely closing the door on a new man, saying, “And if the Lord brings me somebody else, that’s fine too. I’m not a desperate woman.”

Related

Which Celebs Complained About Their ‘SNL’ Impressions?

“My husband’s been gone now for 10 years, and widowhood is not something I recommend unless you hate your husband,” she added. “It’s not a club anybody wants to join if they love their husband. But if you hate his guts, you’re relieved.”

Gifford has remained private about the identity of her ex, only referring to him as a “very special man.”

At the time of their separation last year, she told People, “My new mantra was going to be my joy is non-negotiable. I’ll negotiate time. I’ll negotiate money with you. But my joy, I can’t. I was in a relationship for several years that just ended recently. And you know, it’s always hard because when you love someone, you love someone deeply. It’s something you miss when it doesn’t last.”