Dolly Parton and Craig Ferguson also made video messages for the beloved TV personality.
Kathie Lee Gifford received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a little help from her friends. On Wednesday, the 67-year-old veteran TV personality had a virtual ceremony in her honor that included Craig Ferguson, Dolly Parton and Hoda Kotb delivering video messages about what makes her so special.
"Y'all picked well," exclaimed Kotb, who co-hosted Today with Gifford until she left in 2019. "Kathie Lee Gifford is so deserving of this star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is in a class all by herself. Kathie Lee is an original. I know because I got to sit next to her for 11 years."
Kotb continued, "I think the funny thing about Kathie is we all knew her. I got to know her intimately, but everybody knew her and it's because she lived her life in front of us. We saw her meet her handsome husband [Frank Gifford] in front of us on the air. We saw her talk about her children and raise them in front of us. We watched as she went through difficult times in her life in front of us. We watched as she said goodbye to her dad and her dear mom in front of us. And we watched her say goodbye to her husband in front of us. It all happened in front of us. She shared her life with all of us."
Getting emotional, Kotb then shared what makes Gifford different from everybody else. "She does everything on her terms," she said matter-of-factly. "Her joy is non-negotiable. ...She speaks her heart and her truth. She lives her faith. Nobody and I mean nobody tells Kathie Lee what to do and that's why she's so wildly successful."
Kotb concluded, "You changed so many people's lives, but in particular, you changed mine and I love you for it."
For more on Gifford's legacy, check out the video below.
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