Kathie Lee Gifford on Her Unshakable Faith and the Historical Narrative That She Calls the Greatest Story Never Told

Today on the show we have a living legend—Kathie Lee Gifford is here to talk about her faith and, listeners, you know I love to talk to guests about their faith. Kathie Lee has written a really compelling new book that juxtaposes the story of evil personified in King Herod with the living hope of Jesus told through the story of his mother, Mary. Kathie Lee writes in her new book Herod and Mary: The True Story of the Tyrant King and the Mother of the Risen Savior, which is out July 16, that she has been completely fascinated by the historical figure of Herod the Great since she went on a trip to the Holy Land back in 2012. Herod was Christianity’s first true persecutor, and was a tyrannical ruler; Kathie Lee writes that Herod’s story is the greatest story never told. This book is a historical narrative that reads like a modern-day thriller and is really not your typical nonfiction book—it reads like a novel, but it’s all true. In addition to the juxtaposition between Herod and Mary, there’s another juxtaposition in the book, which is the contrast between a king like Herod, with all his privileges, and then someone like Jesus, the King of the world, who was born in an animal pen. At the end of the book, Kathie Lee includes codas of really interesting conversations between her and her collaborator, Dr. Bryan Litfin, basically unpacking the book and talking readers through it. In those codas, she really vulnerably and bravely reveals some very personal details about her own life that helped me get to know her better and respect her even more. There’s no way you don’t know who Kathie Lee Gifford is, but just in case you don’t, she co-hosted Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee alongside Regis Philbin from 1985 to 2000, and also had an 11-year run with Hoda Kotb on the fourth hour of Today from 2008 to 2019. Kathie Lee has received 11 Daytime Emmy nominations and won her first Daytime Emmy in 2010 with Today. She has also served as an NBC News correspondent and got her start on Name That Tune back in 1978. She married sportscaster and former NFL player Frank Gifford in 1986, and he passed away in 2015; they share two children. In addition to her broadcasting career, Kathie Lee has released multiple albums and multiple books, including books about her faith, cooking, children’s books, and biographical books, like 2018’s The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi and 2020’s It’s Never Too Late: Make the Next Act of Your Life the Best Act of Your Life. I tell Kathie Lee this on the show today, but I feel that all of that work was meant to get her right here, to the place where she has a platform and can share about her faith and invite others to join her in it. Take a listen to this powerful conversation.

Herod and Mary: The True Story of the Tyrant King and the Mother of the Risen Savior by Kathie Lee Gifford and Dr. Bryan Litfin