Kathie Lee Gifford is rumored to be joining “The Today Show” for a hosting stint for its fourth hour. The perky 54 year-old host with a diva reputation left the then “Live with Regis & Kathie Lee” show after 15 years in July 2000 and has been concentrating on her singing career and doing charity work. Since leaving “Live,” she’s done occasional TV and guest appearances, and worked as a correspondent for “The Insider” in 2005.
It’s pretty obvious that Kathie Lee has had more than a few visits to her plastic surgeon’s office. Her face looks way too smooth and pulled and she’s starting to look like Priscilla Presley. Kathie Lee lives in New York so she probably wasn’t a victim of that Argentinian quack who was injecting Hollywood’s elite with car fluid, but she must be going to someone who’s willing to do excessive work on her.
There is an alternative to the two extremes of too much plastic surgery and aging naturally. My mother had a face lift about five years ago and she let it settle. At first it was obvious but within a few months it looked natural on her and it’s not as easy to tell. She looks better than she did before and it’s not glaringly obvious that she’s had work done.
It looks to me like Gifford had more than one face lift along with ongoing maintenance that results in a mask-like effect on her face.
I had trouble finding any photos of Kathie Lee “before,” because she looked about the same and must have had a face lift years ago. In the 2003 image in the header above, you can tell she’s had something done but she doesn’t look freaky.
In a 2000 interview with Larry King, Kathie Lee didn’t exactly deny having plastic surgery, but said she wasn’t going to get “more” and skirted around the issue by saying she was afraid of it. It seems like she got over that quickly.
KING: The story was that you wanted to [get plastic surgery] and [your husband Frank] didn’t want you to.
GIFFORD: But I wanted more. Last year, it was that I was leaving the show or something like that because I was going to have a million dollars worth of plastic surgery. Now, that hurt, you know. Do I need a million dollars worth?
KING: So you’ve never had and you don’t intend to have it.
GIFFORD: I don’t intend to do it.
KING: But you would have if you felt you needed to?
GIFFORD: You know what, yes, I probably would. You know what, just to feel — I probably would. But I haven’t done, you know, anything that I’m ashamed of, and I’m certainly not going to be ashamed of it if I have it down.
[CNN transcript via Awful Plastic Surgery]
Kathie Lee Gifford is shown in January and February of this year, thanks to PRPhotos. Thanks to The National Enquirer for the idea for this story as they covered this in their recent issue.
You know, I am not a big Kathie Lee fan, but women today – especially if they’re over 40 – are damned if they get plastic surgery and they’re damned if they don’t.
Yeah it looks like she has had some work done, yesterday it was Demi Moore. Tomorrow it will be another actress or celeb.
That’s Hollywood for you.
The morning show she was on is sooooo much better with perky lil Kelly on it. I couldn’t stand her stories of cute little Cody or what a great lover Frank is. (9 out of 10 stewardess’ surveyed agreed though)
Another reason I am never getting plastic surgery unless it’s of a recontructive nature. It seems to me that it’s too hard to find a decent doctor to give you an honest opinion and to tell you when enough is enough.
As least aging naturally, you can chalk it up to your life and genetics and not regret some stupid procedure that costs more than your last car.
i don’t think she looks TERRIBLE>… but i doubt she’s gonna let it “settle” I don’t blame someone for getting one face lift… but more than that seems a bit much.
at least she’s not these other idiots who lie about what they’ve done to them selves. i would ge work done if i felt i needed it. good for you Kathie.
PHONEY LEE LOOKS LIKE A GREMLIN IN DRAG
Aside from messing with her lips (ladies with thin lips: leave them alone, that is how you were designed, and it looks fine), she looks to me like she gained a little bit of weight. Her face looks puffy and she definitely could use some lipo on the double chin action.
Carrie is right: Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. What’s really weird is how much criticism the ones who have bad plastic surgery get. Does having a face that doesn’t respond well to the surgery and/or a bad doctor make you somehow more vain than someone whose appearance has actually improved?
Kathie Lee is awful. There is a reason she hasn’t worked in 8 years. I am shocked and disappointed in NBC. That’s the best they can get! Very disappointing.
I threw up in my mouth a little bit when I heard she’s coming back……….. YUCK!!!!!!
Ok.. Would Kathee Lee please get off the topic of her gay scank nanny Christine… Please… your kids don’t NEED a nanny anymore… Or is cody such a wuss that he needs Christine ( can’t or won’t get a real job) gardner…
I am glad to see Kathie Lee back on the air. She tells it like it is. I prefer her with Regis over Hoda.
You know, I just saw Kathie Lee on the today show, and I have to say that today (08/08/08) she looks fabulous. She doesn’t look “plastic” or masky at all. For goodness sakes, if she hadn’t had any work done, you’d be dogging her about how old and saggy she looks. The woman is 55 and looks like 40. Good for her, she looks terrific and I only hope I can look half as good when I get her age.
i am so sick of every one talking crap about any one else. i get it: it makes you feel good when you band together with others to make fun of another person and make them feel bad. obviously no matter what kathy lee had done to her face she still has more talent than the rest of you. i dont see you guys on tv almost every day! and duke of deception, thats just nasty.
Phoney on the INside..why not complete the picture with phoney on the OUTside?
kathy lee qualifies as a middle-aged hottie in my book
I noticed Kathy today and she didn’t even look at all herself. I didn’t like her with Regis, and don’t like her now. She is too stuck on herself to be a co host.why can’t she shut up long enough to give Hota a chance, who in my book is great! Hota is a sweet heart and I love her for putting up with the “Kathy”
She’s getting to have the zombie from the Philippines with bleached hair look that one sees a lot of on older women in New York. Not attractive, IMO.
Kathie-Lee looks fabulous for her age, and has a great attitude about life. She doesn’t take herself too seriously and has a great sense of humour. Too bad she is stuck with that cardboard Hoda.
Kathie Lee is a bad ad for plastic surgery! She’s had her boobs enlarged and some procedure in her frozen face!
Im tempted to say what a load of crap! just for the sake of irony, but Ill refrain
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I just watched a clip online from the TODAY Show and I was like “is that Kathie Lee?” I barely recognized her, she looks very fake. Yuck!
kathy lee gifford looked alot better before the plastic surgery. to me, she has always been a very beautiful woman.
She looked better before she made her hair too light and too long and wavy—she zapped all the life out of herself.
Vito’s right—like a zombie!
Shorter, straighter, reddish-gold hair. That’s the ticket.
Mine is more of a question than a
comment…WHY, with all the money
these celebs have, don’t they go to
well known GOOD docs? I mean, Joan
Rivers has , obviously, a great plastics
person….
I saw Kathie Lee on tv the other day, and I have to say that she, Dyan Cannon, Madonna and so many other women are starting to look identical, and it is because of those puffed up fillers (restalyne, etc.)injected all around their face..
Madonna looked incredible for her age *before* all the injections to fill in nature’s lines. I wish they knew how ‘plastic’ and absolutely identical they all look..
A few actresses actually age gracefully, and they look so much better and beautiful I think. Just like fake breasts, and fake puffy bee stung upper lips, fake just looks– fake!! How truly sad for our society (but how joyous for plastic surgeons getting rich over this sick obsession)…European women take great care of themselves and are much more beautiful because they don’t feed into this craziness.
I will qualify that I think that plastic surgery is okay for noses that are deformed or ugly and do a great service for the self esteem of those who need it, and also for reconstruction of other deformities, but that is about it…
I would still bang her.
Absolutely horrible. I thought she had the spirit to grow old gracefully–guess I was wrong.
Someone mentioned KL has a double chin? I mean, she looks bad, but I don’t see a double chin.
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I’ve never been a fan of Katy Lee….watched her for a bit on Live….then, quit.
I don’t follow her career….
I just happened to be watching TV, and there she was, on her talk show….
I recognized the voice, but not the face…. I had to look twice, to see if it was her….it was…..
She’s had one to many face lifts, along with to much Botox….
::::::paging Priscilla Presley, Michale Jackson, oh, and of course Joan Rivers::::::::
She used to be a very pretty woman….not any more….
She went way over her limit.
That should read, *Kathy Lee*…not Katy….typo on my part…
The US is SO obsessed with physical,etc. perfectionism, which is not seen in other countries around the world. This is not only applicable in women’s physical appearance. (However, since that is the topic here, men, too, recently are “getting on the bandwagon.”) When will the general population stop letting Hollywood rule what is the “norm” or what is deemed desirable? We have come so far with women’s rights, etc.; but it seems we are taking giant steps backwards with obsessions of “physical perfection,” with visitors flying in from the UK to have “silicone injections” (I heard the recent catrostrophe was not actually silicone and you certainly don’t inject it directly into the body, and this was not a board certified doctor, nor anyone in the medical profession “practicing” in a medically certified facility.) The injections occured inside a Hampton Inn, with the poor British patient dying hours later. HOLLYWOOD, YOU ARE SETTING THE ‘NORM,’ OPEN YOUR EYES AND GET SOME EMPATHY.”
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The thing we need to are afraid of is without a doubt fear and worry again.–Franklin Roosevelt
sometimes I really think about it . .. but #1 it is expensive
#2 .. people just DO NOT look like themselves .. . it’s like their soul has gone out of their eyes and Life…
they look PLASTIC ! … really
She looks like she’s had cheek implants, botox and lip collagen. I think it looks terrible, especially the cheeks. REALLY fake! I can’t even stand to look at her. I’ll take Kelly Ripa any time over Kathie and her plastic face and cutsie egocentrism.