Why TV Host Kathie Lee Gifford Compared Her Transition to Music to “Where’s Waldo?”

Longtime television personality Kathie Lee Gifford has worn many hats throughout her decades-long career, and in the late aughts, she added a pom-pommed beanie to the list when she said her professional transition into music was like a Where’s Waldo? book.

The former host of Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee and Today has certainly found herself in many places over the years, from television sets to Broadway stages to recording studios and beyond.

Kathie Lee Gifford’s (Many) Transitions to Music, Stage, and More

After her 15-year-long tenure on Live! From 1985 to 2000, Kathie Lee Gifford did double stand-in duty as a substitute for Carol Burnett in a Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s Putting It Together and as a guest host of Late Show with David Letterman. She eventually transitioned to NBC’s Today show with Hoda Kotb in 2008 before embarking on yet another career transition in April 2019.

Throughout all of these changes, Gifford’s love of performing and interacting with the public remained consistent. Still, even she couldn’t help but notice the broad scope of her professional life in a 2021 interview with Variety. “I feel like Waldo from those Where’s Waldo books,” Gifford said. “Waldo’s everywhere, and you say, ‘What the hell is he doing there?’ That’s me. My whole career.”

Gifford’s persistence to do it all has defined her entire life’s work. “I never dreamed I would have the kind of success I’ve enjoyed,” Gifford told Variety. “I was never the prettiest woman or girl in any casting call; I was never the best actress. Yet, I never stopped working. I was certainly never the best singer. But I was a really good singer, and I worked really hard at it. I still do. I just want to encourage people to be the best they can be. It’s never too late to try.”

The Multi-Hyphenate Performer Has a Prolific Music Career

While many would recognize Kathie Lee Gifford from her time as a daytime television host, the multi-hyphenate creative was interested in music long before she landed her co-host spot on Live! After performing in vocal ensembles in high school, she studied drama and music in college.

Gifford first gained acclaim in the Christian music community in the mid-1970s alongside her first husband, composer and publisher Paul Johnson. Gifford released her first album, ‘Finders Keepers,’ in 1978, and she’s worked on 16 other records since then either as a performer or lyricist. Her music career, much like her acting career, is a testament to Gifford’s willingness to be a Renaissance woman.

“My gift is I’m a communicator,” Gifford told Billboard in 2017. “I’ve been an entertainer all my life. My gift is bringing stories to life. My gift is entertaining people. I try to be real, and I try to share my faith in a real, authentic way. I think it’s real important. That’s my gift. I don’t have too many, but I’m writing all these things. I keep busy.”

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