
Kathie Lee on Hoda: 'I Made the Woman a Star!'

We already gave you an
exclusive behind-the-scenes look at NBC's 'Today,' now let's get good and intimate with the show's fourth hour star, Kathie Lee Gifford. Sitting in her dressing room, with pictures of her family and some killer heels sitting nearby, KLG opened up to
PopEater about why she thinks she's outlasted so many of her peers, her sincere love for Hoda Kotb and her frustration with the caliber of some of the stars she's chatting with each morning.
"This is my 45th year in this business," she tells me. "You don't survive because you have thick skin, you just develop a very thick skin against the people that don't matter."
Watch after the jump!
Kathie Lee reminisces about getting started in the biz and how her job has changed in recent years.
"My dad used to say, 'Honey, find something you love to do and then figure out a way to get paid for it,'" she tells me. "When I would go to work, I would be with Aubrey Hepburn one day and Paul Newman the next day. Now I'm with reality TV stars."
Of course, she's got her favorite celebs out there too, and at the top of the list is the
so-not-pregnant Beyonce. "It's fun to see the truly talented people just soar and go on and just spread their wings."
Kathie Lee gets feisty (in a fun way) when the subject turns to her partner in crime's cheekily-titled memoir,
'Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee.' In the book, Hoda writes that she's wished she could tackle KLG to the ground and stick gum in her hair.
"Nice talk! I made the woman a star! She wants to wrestle me to the ground, which wouldn't be hard because she's, you know, she outweighs me let's just put it that way. And she wants to stick gum in my hair?" she jokes. "How pathetic and juvenile. But you know what, I love her. I love her to pieces."
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Go Behind the Scenes of 'Today' -- Exclusive Tour!
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How Close Has Hoda Come to Attacking Kathie Lee?
Stay tuned for more footage and interviews from our exclusive tour of 'Today'!
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Exclusive Tour of 'Today'!
PopEater's Rob Shuter (that's Naughty But Nice Rob to you trusted readers) visits with Kathie Lee and Hoda on the set of the 'Today' show in New York City. Click for More Fun Pics!
Ben Trivett, PopEater
Ben Trivett, PopEater
Exclusive Tour of Today
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Kathy Lee is joking right? Hoda is the only one who is any good.
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Gifford is an ignoramus. Trust me, I know.
'I Made the Woman a Star!'
While she made the rest of the world sick.
Hoda never needed Kathy Lee she was already famous. Now I remember why I did not like her on Regis.
Kathy, I suggest you defer any future off camera closeups. The botox and other treatments are wearing off.
WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS....KATHIE LEE IS A WASH UP..SHE IS A BIG NOTHING! BOOTED OFF THE REGIS SHOW, AND WHY THIS STATION PICKED HER UP IS THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION! HODA IS THE STAR..KATHIE LEE IS JUST HANGING ON BY A THREAD...NO ONE CAN STAND HER...NEEDS TO GO HOME AND SIT IN A CORNER WITH HER OLD CHEATING HUSBAND! SHE MAKES ME SICK!
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they are both pigs . I would never watch anything with these two flakes in it
What a bunch of crock!!!! How dare KLG make such a blatantly lying statement!
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Holy jeez, that woman bugs me. Why does she think Hoda is so big? Am I the only one who totally dislikes Kathie Lee?
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I totally agree with you
Not at all...the broad makes me sick!
Because she is big. Big and tall!
Lets see a list of the people if I never heard their names again I would be thrilled-Kathie Lee-Kate Gosselin-Lindsey Lohan-Octomom-Kanye West. Thats a start. Kathie Lee is soo annoying-that horse laugh-she's so phony. I bet when she left Regis he felt like he had been let out of jail. Why Today was so desperate to put her on their show is a mystery to me-were they short on talent that week?
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Kathie Lee should sit down & shut up. I never watch her.
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I have never like KLG and I wish she would just go away. Hoda needs a new co anchor
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I thought David Letterman made Hoda Kotb a star! 'Hoda Kotb??' I've loved Hoda since she was on local television in New Orleans.
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Can't STAND KLG!!! Hoda was on the Today Show lonnnng before Kathie came along. Who the hell does she think she is??? Good Lord Kathie, get over yourself!!!!
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KLG::: Most obnoxious person on TV, EVER!!!
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I have never liked Kathie Lee. She says she "made" Hoda a star??
Well if Kathie Lee hadnt married a football player and been on Regis no one would even know who she is.
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Kathie Lee and Hoda are over-botoxed drag queens, right? No, really, they are drag queens, right?
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