Kathie Lee Gifford Reveals Why She ‘Never Wanted to Be Famous’: ‘I Was Never Ever the Best’

Recently, Kathie Lee Gifford received a FaceTime call from her toddler grandson Frankie . “I said, ‘Hi, Baby.’ He said, ‘Hey, Bubbie’ — that’s what they call me — ‘sing Poopy song!’” she exclusively tells Closer . “He literally FaceTimed me to sing the Poopy song. That’s as good as it gets.”

When she’s not entertaining her three beloved grandchildren by making up tunes about dirty diapers, Kathie Lee remains quite busy. The former Today personality, who retired from her television gig in 2019 and moved to Nashville, has a new book — Herod and Mary: The True Story of the Tyrant King and the Mother of the Risen Savior . While she has written everything from cookbooks and memoirs to books of inspiration, her latest is something different. “If the story of Jesus Christ is the greatest story ever told, the story of Herod is the greatest story never told!” Kathie Lee says. “It was something brand-new for me.”

What do you hope readers will get from a book about Herod, a brutal ruler, and Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ?

"I truly believe evil has been in the world ever since the world began. If you look at all the Scripture, Satan was there at the garden. I think people feel like there’s no hope anymore in the world, but that’s not true. Herod & Mary is about ancient evil and living hope. We juxtapose the story of Herod, who was one of the most evil men to ever live, with Mary, who was about to give birth at the same time that Herod was dying."

How did you come up with the idea?

"In 2012, I came back from my first rabbinical visit to Israel. Unless you’re truly studying what the word of God actually says, you’ll never have any comprehension of what it means. It changed my whole life. When I got home from that first trip, my son said, 'Mom, why don’t you write books based on biblical history?' I thought it was an amazing idea."

What do you think is the best way to bring people to God?

"Tell them that God loves them. That’s it. People can’t stand the division between us all these days. I don’t want to divide people, I just want to tell them how much God loves them. So, this book shows the difference between someone like Herod, who was as evil as you could possibly be, and Mary, who is just as dear, kind, loving and pure as a person can be."

Was it ever difficult to be a Christian and have a career in show business?

"No, I knew from the moment I was born that I was being called into [entertainment]. God gave me a boldness, and that’s why I was there. I was never afraid to talk about Him. And every time I did, the ratings went up! Nobody ever said I couldn’t talk about it."

Did fame on 'Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee' change your life?

"Yeah, but not for the better. I never wanted to be famous. I was never the prettiest girl who tried out for a job. I was never the smartest. I wasn’t the best actress. I was never the best singer. I was never, ever, the best, but I worked the hardest, quite frankly. I worked my tush off, and I was always kind to everybody."

What are your fondest memories of working with Regis Philbin?

"I talk to him every day. I talk to my mom, my dad, Frank [Gifford] and Regis every day. I just adored him . We never had an unkind word between us in 15 years. And then after I left the show, we got far closer than when we worked together."

Why do you think people enjoyed the two of you so much?

"We had fun! That’s the key to it. We just loved each other. For 15 years, we laughed our [butts] off. We were never mean-spirited like the world is today."

You were also lucky enough to have wonderful chemistry with your 'Today' cohost Hoda Kotb.

"There was instant chemistry with her. She is sunshine in a bottle and I adore her."

Were you an instant success on-air, too?

"The first year it didn’t work — we were struggling with the ratings because she was looking at her notes. One day we were out on the plaza and the wind came up and all of her notes went flying. I said, 'It’s a miracle!' Then we started laughing and talking like real friends — and the ratings went through the roof."

You had a wonderful marriage with Frank. What was your secret?

"Frank was my best friend for four years before I fell in love with him. We had a lot of fun. He would call me every time something was wrong in his life and I just adored him. But he was 23 years older, so he was not a man I thought I’d marry."

What changed?

"One night, I fell off the sofa laughing with him. I looked up at him, and I remember thinking, ‘I don’t want to spend one day of my life without this man in it.’ That’s when I knew I loved him. We got married a couple of months later."

What makes you happiest today?

"Truly what makes me so happy is watching my children . Cody and Cassidy are both so much in love with their spouses. They are such unbelievable parents. To watch them love each other and the babies, it just brings me such joy."

Does that overshadow your career triumphs — like winning an Emmy?

"I don’t care about that stuff anymore. Most of the awards I got were late in life. I would have loved the Hollywood Walk of Fame when I was young. I would have loved all my Emmys when I was young, but I didn’t get them then. I got them way, way into my career, and by that time I didn’t care."

What are you most grateful for?

"There’s not a day in my life where I don’t go somewhere and five people will come up and say, 'I’ve watched you my whole life. Thank you so much.' That brings me joy. What matters in life is the people you’ve touched and the people you’ve changed."