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Kathie Lee Gifford To Leave NBC's 'Today' Show In April

NEW YORK (AP) — Kathie Lee Gifford will put aside her morning glass of wine and step away from NBC's "Today" show in April.

 

Joel And Victoria Osteen Visit The SiriusXM Studios For Its "Town Hall" Series, Hosted By Kathie Lee Gifford, On Monday, October 1, 2018
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 01: Kathie Lee Gifford poes for photos during the SiriusXM "Town Hall" Series with Victoria Osteen and Joel Osteen at the SiriusXM studios on October 1, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

 

NBC News chief Noah Oppenheim told staffers Tuesday morning that Gifford will leave the show after 11 years of getting up early, most recently hosting the 10 a.m. hour slot alongside Hoda Kotb and sipping plenty of reds.

 

2017 CMT Music Awards - Show
NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 07: TV personalities Hoda Kotb (L) and Kathie Lee Gifford (R) speak onstage during the 2017 CMT Music Awards at the Music City Center on June 6, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for CMT)

 

In a memo to staff, Oppenheim called the 65-year-old Gifford "one of the most enduring and endearing talents in morning television. In short — she is a legend." He said she will focus on her film, music and book projects.

In the memo, Oppenheim said Gifford told him she was leaving "with a grateful heart but I'm truly excited for this new creative season in my life."

 

The COTA Awards (Celebration of the Arts) - Arrivals
MALIBU, CA - SEPTEMBER 15: Kathie Lee Gifford and Anne Neilson arrive at The COTA Awards (Celebration of the Arts) on September 15, 2018 in Malibu, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for COTA)

 

The move comes as NBC News struggles to remake its sprawling four-hour morning show following the cancellation earlier this year of Megyn Kelly's hour-long slot.

Before landing the NBC gig, Gifford co-hosted "Live" opposite Regis Philbin for 11 years. She left that show in 2000 and joined "Today" in 2008.

Kathie Lee Gifford Visits "The Elvis Duran Z100 Morning Show"
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 14: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Elvis Duran (R) interviews Kathie Lee Gifford during "The Elvis Duran Z100 Morning Show" at Z100 Studio on March 14, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

 

Away from TV, Gifford has supplied the book, lyrics and some of the music for the off-Broadway "Under the Bridge," an adaptation of a children's book about a hobo who befriends a homeless family in Paris.

She has released albums, including the poppy "The Heart of a Woman" in 2000 and the religious "Gentle Grace" in 2004. Gifford also has appeared onstage in the Broadway musical revue "Putting it Together" and supplied book and lyrics for the 2012 Broadway flop "Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson."

 

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