Kathie Lee Gifford Net Worth

What is Kathie Lee Gifford's Net Worth and Salary?

Kathie Lee Gifford is an American TV host, actress, singer, and writer who has a net worth of $160 million.

Kathie Lee Gifford first became a household name as Regis Philbin's co-host on "Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee," where her warmth, humor, candor, and chemistry with Philbin helped make the show one of the defining morning programs of the 1980s and 1990s. She later reached another generation of viewers as co-host of the fourth hour of "Today" with Hoda Kotb, turning wine, friendship, celebrity interviews, and loose, conversational television into a highly successful formula. Outside television, Gifford has worked in music, musical theater, film, children's projects, and faith-based entertainment. Her personal life has also been a major part of her public story, including her marriage to former NFL star and broadcaster Frank Gifford, her children Cody and Cassidy, and her move from Connecticut to Tennessee after Frank's death. Over several decades, Kathie Lee Gifford built a career around relatability, resilience, show-business polish, and an unusually durable connection with daytime audiences.

Early Life

Kathie Lee Gifford was born Kathryn Lee Epstein on August 16, 1953, in Paris, France, where her father was stationed with the U.S. Navy. She was raised in a military family and spent part of her childhood in Europe before her family settled in the United States. Her father, Aaron Epstein, was a musician and former Navy officer, and her mother, Joan, was a singer.

Gifford grew up with a strong interest in music and performance. She attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she studied music and drama, although she left before graduating to pursue opportunities in entertainment. Her early ambitions centered on singing, acting, and musical theater, all of which remained part of her career even after television made her famous.

Early Career

Gifford's first major exposure came through music and variety television. In the 1970s, she appeared as a singer on the game show "Name That Tune," where she became familiar to viewers as part of the program's musical team. She also worked as a singer, performer, and actress, gradually building a career in Los Angeles and New York.

Before becoming a daytime TV star, Gifford appeared in various television projects, commercials, and stage productions. She was also part of the cast of "Hee Haw Honeys," a short-lived spin-off of "Hee Haw." These early jobs gave her experience performing in front of cameras, working with live audiences, and balancing comedy, music, and personality-driven entertainment.

"Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee"

Gifford's career changed dramatically in 1985 when she joined Regis Philbin on a New York morning program that eventually became "Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee." The show's appeal rested heavily on the chemistry between the two hosts. Their opening chats, unscripted banter, celebrity interviews, and personal storytelling created a looser, more intimate kind of morning television.

Gifford was open about her marriage, her children, her faith, her frustrations, and her daily life, which made viewers feel as though they knew her personally. She and Philbin turned the show into a national success after it entered syndication in 1988. The program became a staple of daytime TV and helped establish the template for many host-driven morning shows that followed.

She remained on "Live!" until 2000. During her time on the show, she also became a frequent subject of tabloid coverage, public debate, and parody, but her visibility made her one of the most famous women on American television.

(Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

"Today" With Hoda Kotb

In 2008, Gifford joined NBC's "Today" show as co-host of the fourth hour alongside Hoda Kotb. The pairing became an unexpected hit. Gifford and Kotb developed a relaxed, playful, and often wine-fueled format that differed from the harder news tone of the earlier hours of "Today."

Their chemistry helped transform the fourth hour into a popular franchise within the larger show. Gifford brought experience and show-business confidence, while Kotb brought warmth and spontaneity. Together, they built a loyal audience and became one of daytime television's most recognizable duos.

Gifford left "Today" in 2019 after 11 years with the program. Her departure marked the end of another major chapter in a television career that had already spanned several decades.

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Music, Writing, and Other Projects

Although television made her most famous, Gifford has continued to work in music and writing throughout her career. She has released albums, written songs, and contributed to musical theater projects. Her work has often reflected her Christian faith, romantic sensibility, and affection for classic show-business traditions.

Gifford has also written numerous books, including memoirs, children's books, and faith-oriented works. Her books often blend personal stories, family memories, spiritual reflections, and lessons from her years in entertainment.

In addition to writing and music, she has acted in television movies, appeared in films, and worked as a producer. Later in her career, she became increasingly interested in projects outside the traditional daytime TV format, including independent films, biblical storytelling, and Nashville-based creative work.

Personal Life

Gifford was first married to composer and publisher Paul Johnson. After that marriage ended, she married Frank Gifford in 1986. Frank was already famous as a Pro Football Hall of Fame player for the New York Giants and later as a broadcaster on "Monday Night Football." The couple had two children together, Cody and Cassidy.

Frank and Kathie Lee's marriage was a central part of her public identity. She frequently spoke about him and their children on television, making the family part of her everyday conversation with viewers. Their marriage also survived public difficulties, including a highly publicized scandal in the 1990s.

Frank Gifford died in August 2015 at the age of 84. After his death, Kathie Lee spoke openly about grief, loneliness, faith, and the challenge of living in the large Connecticut home they had shared. Her children eventually settled in California, while she began spending more time in Tennessee. In 2019, after leaving "Today," she moved to the Nashville area and described the move as a necessary new beginning.

Inheritance

When Frank Gifford died in August 2015, his estate went to Kathie Lee. The estate reportedly included approximately $10 million in liquid assets, a $2.5 million house in Florida, and the couple's longtime waterfront mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut, which had often been valued in the tens of millions.

The inheritance reflected both Frank's long career in professional football and broadcasting and the couple's decades of careful real estate ownership. Frank's estate also became part of Kathie Lee's later financial story as she shifted her life away from Connecticut and toward Tennessee.

Real Estate

Real estate has been a major part of Kathie Lee Gifford's wealth. In 1994, during her long run on "Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee," she and Frank purchased a waterfront estate in Greenwich, Connecticut, for $7.8 million. The property, known as Cedar Cliff, sits in the Riverside neighborhood on a peninsula overlooking Long Island Sound. The roughly 2.9-acre estate includes more than 1,250 feet of water frontage, a private beach, dock, pool, poolhouse, tennis court, and a Mediterranean-style mansion with more than 15,000 square feet and eight bedrooms. Over the years, the Giffords renovated the home, added a major new wing, and created spaces including a primary suite, movie theater, home office, wine cellar, fitness center, prayer garden, and professional recording studio. In May 2026, after years of living primarily in Tennessee, Gifford listed Cedar Cliff for $100 million. If it sells near that price, it would rank among the most expensive home sales in Connecticut history. Here is a video tour of Ceda Cliff:

Gifford has said that after Frank's death, the Connecticut home, once filled with family, music, parties, and television friends, began to feel painfully quiet. The property had hosted charity events, screenings, "Today" segments, and gatherings with friends including Regis and Joy Philbin. She continued to love the estate, but eventually decided the time was right to sell.

After moving to Tennessee, Gifford purchased property in Franklin, an affluent suburb outside Nashville. In 2018 and 2019, she bought two homes in the area, reportedly paying about $3.7 million for each. The move placed her closer to Nashville's music and faith-based creative communities and gave her a smaller, more manageable base after decades in the New York and Connecticut world.

The Giffords also owned a Nantucket getaway purchased in 1998 for $5.8 million, as well as a large Key Largo, Florida, property that Kathie Lee inherited after Frank's death. The Key Largo home, originally purchased for $3.9 million, was later listed for sale for more than $10 million.

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