Kathie Lee Gifford Gets Honest About Stepping Away From The Spotlight

Kathie Lee Gifford has been in the television industry for decades. Most fans first got a taste of the star's bubbly personality when she sat alongside Regis Philbin for the hit morning show, "Live With Regis and Kathie Lee," where she entertained viewers for years. Not too long after, she signed on for the fourth hour of "Today," where she sipped wine while chatting with co-host Hoda Kotb.

But, all good things must come to an end, and that was the case with Gifford's run on the series. In December 2018, Gifford announced that she would leave the show to pursue other endeavors. "I have something to share with everybody, and it's bittersweet as these things always are," she said on air. "I've been here almost 11 years; thought I would stay one year, something happened along the way. I fell in love..." she said of Kotb. "And now, when it's our eleventh anniversary, I am going to be leaving the 'Today' show." Of course, Kotb and Gifford shed some tears on-air, and at that moment, you could really tell how close the ladies had gotten during their stint on the show.

In April 2019, Gifford sat next to Kotb on the show for the last time( via People), as she confessed that it was simply time to move on. "I am an artist; I'm an actress, I'm a writer, I'm a songwriter, a director now," she shared. 

Now, she's livin' the life in Tennessee. 

Kathie Lee Gifford is getting candid about stepping away from the spotlight and living her new, quieter life in Nashville, Tennessee. The star opened up about her transition to People. "For the first time after longing to be back in California for 45 years or whatever it was, I just thought, 'I don't want to be there. I'm going to Tennessee,'" Gifford told the outlet, adding that most people in Tennessee share the same faith as her, which is a huge perk of living there.

She also noted that she was sick of "battling traffic into New York every day" before elaborating further on her new life. "I felt like my creative years were just beginning. I really did, especially once I started directing. That changed everything," she shared. Gifford has proven that she has many talents besides hosting a show, and her new focuses include writing music and directing movies. And while she's keeping it on the down-low, Gifford also has a new man in her life. So — it looks like things in Tennessee are treating the star pretty well!

While there's no doubt that Gifford loves living that Nashville life, that doesn't keep her from visiting her pals back at "Today." On August 17, she shared a photo with Hoda Kotb, Jenna Bush Hager, and her co-author Rabbi Jason Sobel, as she promoted their book "The God of the Way." Talk about a full-circle moment!