While Kathie Lee Gifford leaves "Today", her morning television legacy will continue to live despite frequent mockery

To say that Kathie Lee Gifford was mocked during her decades on early morning television is a euphemism. Kristen Wiig imitated it during "Saturday Night Live" by gluing a straw into a wine box. Joel McHale has implicitly criticized it on "The Soup". Jay Leno said in a late 1999 monologue that the less popular first names of the previous year were "Hitler and Kathie Lee". (Leno later admitted that the joke had crossed a line and had personally called Gifford to apologize.)

However, what has made Gifford the ideal target for comedians, is also what makes her an inescapable television personality since 1985 and will define her legacy: she has always been, for the better or worse, completely and shamelessly. For 15 years on "Live With Regis and Kathie Lee" on ABC and 11 years on the fourth hour of NBC's "Today" show with Hoda Kotb, the ever-bubbling Gifford has told her about her life, often revealing too much detail . For some, it was a delight. For others, she was incredibly irritating. But she has always been honest.

Friday marks the last day of Gifford for "Today". She announced her departure last December and told People magazine that her job was the only thing that kept her from staying in New York, especially after the death of her husband and mother and the departure of her two children . "I became a widow, an orphan and a breeder at the same time," she said. In this new phase of life, Gifford, 65, wants to pursue new projects. she is also considering moving to Nashville, where she has many close friends.

[Kathie Lee Gifford announces she’s stepping down from ‘Today’]

Gifford's polarizing personality has earned him a lot of attention over the years, which partly explains his success in the entertainment industry – even if people say negative things, at least they talk about you. (A publicist on the "Today" show said that Gifford and NBC executives were not available to comment.)

"Lots of people liked it, but some liked it less," said Marc Berman, editor of the Programming Insider television website. "Everyone had a comment about it. Everyone had an opinion about him. Whether you like it or hate it, it just sounded.

In 1985, Gifford – singer, actress and correspondent of "Good Morning America" ​​- caught the attention of the producers of "The Morning Show", aired on the ABC television channel of New York. Impressed by "the interview skills and dynamic presence on Gifford," they wrote in a press release. The producers hired her as co-host of Regis Philbin. Their chemistry was palpable and viewers were particularly fascinated by the first segment of the show, in which the two men would mock their days. Newsday has described it as a "secular confessional in which the details of their two lives, as mundane as they are, are transformed into showbiz."

"An hour with Regis and Kathie Lee is as alive as a tap dancer convention," the paper wrote in 1988, the same year the series entered national syndication and was renamed "Live With Regis and Kathie Lee ". the show an "optimistic gabfest" and considered Gifford as "the living incarnation of Perk."

"This comes from the fact that Kathie Lee and I both have experience in the performing arts world. We like to be informal. We like to be spontaneous, "Philbin told the newspaper. Gifford added, "Our show is fun because Regis and I have a good time."

"Live With Regis and Kathie Lee," which has just been transformed, quickly became a gold mine with loyal fans, although Gifford was the victim of a lot of criticism early on, especially for the frequency with which she was telling stories about his children, Cody and Cassidy, with enthusiasm. (Not to mention the vicious criticism of his famous Christmas critic, Tom Shales, former Washington Post TV critic). Nevertheless, "Live" was extremely popular, with an average of 4 to 6 million viewers a day, according to news reports.

Gifford had his first violent reaction in 1996, when a human rights organization reported that Walmart's Gifford clothing line was made by children in sweatshops in Honduras and New York. Gifford, who denied knowing the conditions, appeared before Congress to ask, "What can we do to protect the rights of workers in factories around the world and right here in America?"

A year later, Gifford became the center of a frenzy of gossip when it was revealed that her husband, Frank, a former NFL star and commentator of "Monday Night Football," had had an affair with a hostess – at which the tabloid of the Globe had paid to initiate the meeting. . While media critics criticized the Globe's ethics, Gifford was caught between two fires. She explained openly how difficult it was to overcome the scandal and fight for their marriage.

"I think it just added to her success because she's not hidden there," Berman said. "She's busy with it. If you want to host a talk show, the real ingredient is honesty and realism with your audience, and that's exactly what it did. "

In March 2000, Gifford announced that she was withdrawing from "Live," partly because of increased family supervision. It became harder for her to tell personal stories and talk about her life because people had begun to "sensationalize" everything she was going to say. "That's what made the show so successful. . . has caused real concern in my life, "she said, according to the New York Daily News.

Even though Philbin told her that she "was moving away from what is probably the most coveted work in the history of broadcasting," Gifford left this summer. Over the next eight years, she pursued other showbiz opportunities, including playing in plays and recording several albums. But she was drawn to morning television in 2008, when it was announced that she would be the new co-host of the fourth hour of NBC's "Today" show alongside "Dateline" correspondent Hoda Kotb.

"It should not have worked. It was a strange couple and everyone knows it, "said Kotb in a video of the NBC channel. "You have an Egyptian journalist and a menopausal. That's what she used to say about both of us. . . who would ever put that together?

Yet they have become the best friends and a duet of magnetic TV. Fueled by large glasses of wine that became the centerpiece of their show ("Boozeday Tuesday"; "Vinsday Wednesday"), they turned the hour into a clumsy but sincere mix of celebrity interviews, segments of well-being and strange jokes. Again, some viewers could not handle it; when Kotb asked McHale why he was laughing at the show so often, he replied: seen your show? But they also maintained a legion of dedicated fans, including those who have watched Gifford through the years.

"We've seen her move from a young woman in her thirties to a woman in her sixties – every step of life is different and she's always very honest about it," Berman said. "I think NBC will miss him."

Read more:

Kelly Ripa has made a career of being herself. Where does she go from here?

Jenna Bush Hager joins Hoda Kotb on the fourth hour of Today

Hoda Kotb replaces Matt Lauer in "Today" and makes history.