Media personality, Kathie Lee Gifford has two children, Cody and Cassidy, with her late husband, Frank Gifford. She is now a grandmother to three boys. Details.
French-American media personality, Kathie Lee Gifford has made a name in the entertainment industry as a television presenter, playwright, producer, singer, songwriter, actress, and author.
Her successful career spans over 50 years
The celebrated television personality and four-time Emmy Award winner is best known for her 15-year run as co-host on the talk show Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee. She worked alongside Regis Philbin from 1985 to 2000.
Gifford is also known for her 11-year run with Hoda Kotb, on the fourth hour of NBC’s Today show.
Away from her profession, she is a mother and grandmom. Having been married twice, she welcomed two kids with her late spouse, and they have also given her grandchildren. Here’s everything we know about her family.
How many children does Kathie Lee Gifford have?
Award-winning actress Kathie Lee Gifford is a proud mother, a title that has given her a “sense of purpose” and arguably, her biggest achievements in her entire life.
She has two children; a son named Cody Gifford and a daughter called Cassidy Gifford.
She shares all of her kids with her late husband Frank Gifford from her second marriage.
She became a first-time mom when she welcomed Cody in March 1990 with her late husband, Frank. Daughter Cassidy followed soon after in August 1993.
“You can’t even imagine how your life is going to change until it is actually changing right before your eyes,” she told Today in 2016. “If you’re not completely ready to have your entire life totally upended, don’t have a child.”
Also, in 2022 during an interview with Tamron Hall, she opened up on her candor as a parent. “I would go, ‘I have mastitis and my nipples are killing me,” she told Tamron Hall in 2022 about her time hosting Live With Regis and Kathie Lee. “Nobody ever talked about motherhood like that. It was the first time … I got a little graphic about it.”
All of her kids tied the knot in 2020 during COVID-19 and have flourished careers and have even started their own families – making the Today star a grandmother.
Image Source: NATHAN CONGLETON/NBC/NBCU PHOTO BANK VIA GETTY IMAGES
Who is Cody Gifford?
Cody Newton Gifford, 33, is the first child of TV personality Kathie Lee Gifford.
He was born on March 22, 1990, to the actress and presenter and her late husband Franke Gifford. This was her second marriage in her lifetime.
Kathie Lee and Frank’s son Cody grew up in Connecticut and attended college at the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford.
By profession, Kathie Lee Gifford follows in the footsteps of his mother in the entertainment industry. He is currently a producer, screenwriter, and the founder of Gifford Media Group.
His mom once likened him to his late dad, whom he lost when he was 25 years old. “So many people were saying, ‘Gosh, Cody looks just like Frank now,’ ” Kathie Lee said on the Today show in 2018. “He really does.”
Who is Cody Newton Gifford’s wife? Kathie Lee’s son Cody has been married to his longtime girlfriend, Erika Brown since September 2020. The wedding of the pair, who got engaged in May 2019, took place at the Greenwich, Connecticut, mansion where Cody grew up and where he now resides with his family. Since it was COVID-19, only their parents and siblings were in attendance.
“God gave us a glorious day to celebrate this glorious couple. So grateful.??,” Kathie Lee shared on Instagram beside a wedding photo. “My son and his wife live there now,” Kathie Lee told PEOPLE after moving to Tennessee herself. “And that just makes me so happy.”
“Frank adored Erika, he met her at my 60th birthday,” the former Today host shared with PEOPLE. “He loved her smile and loved her laugh.”
Image Source: MICHAEL KOVAC/GETTY
Who is Cassidy Erin Gifford?
Cassidy Erin Gifford, 30, is the second child and daughter of presenter Kathie Lee.
She was born on August 2, 1993, in Greenwich, Connecticut.
What does Cassidy Erin Gifford do for a living? Cassidy followed her mom’s footsteps into acting and has appeared in TV and film projects including That’s So Raven, Suite Life on Deck, God’s Not Dead, Time Trap, and The Baxters.
“My daughter is a very serious acting student,” Kathie Lee told Entertainment Weekly in 2007. “She studied at the Strasberg Institute last year here in New York.” Kathie Lee said that regardless of what her child wanted to do, she would support her. “It’s just that I have to help her make wise choices. And I’ll be on the set with her.”
Who is Cassidy Erin Gifford’s husband? Kathie Lee’s daughter has been married since June 2020 to her longtime boyfriend Ben Wierda. The pair got engaged in November 2019 and her mom was the first to share with her followers. “So thrilled to announce that my beautiful daughter, @cassidygiff is engaged to a wonderful man, Ben @letsgetwierda,” she wrote on Instagram alongside an adorable photo of the young couple. Sharing more insight into the special moment, Cassidy revealed she was “face deep in a quesadilla” when Ben popped the question.
Kathie Lee was “grateful” that her late husband got to meet Ben before his death. “Frank knew Ben, Cassidy’s husband since he was 14 years old — he’s 30 now,” she shared.
Cassidy and her husband Ben Wierda’s nuptial was an intimate one and it took place in Ben’s backyard in Michigan.
Their traditional wedding was in October 2021, in Nashville surrounded by reminders of Cassidy’s father, including the proposal date of Nov. 16 (her father’s jersey number), serving Frank’s favorite candy, and putting number 16 on each table.
“I couldn’t do a father-daughter dance with my dad, so my brother and I danced to ‘What a Wonderful World.’ Then halfway through, which was a surprise, Ben’s dad — my father-in-law, Craig — actually came in,” she told PEOPLE. “We had our first dance — and my mom got up and sang too, as she’s known to always do!”
Image Source: ERIKA GIFFORD INSTAGRAM
Who are Kathie Lee Gifford’s grandchildren?
Aside from being a mom of two, Kathie Lee is a grandmom.
She has three grandkids – all boys- named Frank Michael Gifford, Finn Thomas Wierda (all born in 2022), and Ford Matthew Gifford (born in 2023).
The media personality cherishes her grandsons, and often shares them on her social media pages, and has spoken about them mostly during her interviews.
According to Kathie Lee, it’s “heaven” having the little ones around, and her children are proud of the grandmother she’s become.
“Laughing through life with you is one of my greatest blessings. Beyond thankful for the woman, believer, and mother you are,” Cassidy wrote for her mom’s 70th birthday in 2023. “And the bubbe you are to little Finn!”
Her son Cody made her a grandmom for the first time when he and his wife Erika welcomed their first son on May 31, 2022. Cody named his son after his father, Frank Michael Gifford.
Kathie Lee shared the news on her social media account. She posted a photo of the couple and their newborn son on Instagram, captioning the post: “My heart is bursting.” “Frank Michael Gifford is here, confirming that our God is good and merciful and faithful. And he loves us!”
Just over one year later, Cody’s sister Cassidy and her husband Ben also welcomed a son, Finn Thomas Wierda, on June 24, 2023.
Kathie Lee also chose to share the celebratory news on her Instagram, posting a photo of her holding her second grandchild on July 2, 2023. She captioned the post: “What a joy to spend sweet time with baby FINN. I am the most blessed of women. It seems! Happy Fourth of July everybody.”
Just before Finn arrived in the world, Cody and Erika confirmed they were expecting baby number two.
Frankie officially became a big brother with the arrival of Ford Matthew Gifford in November 2023.
On December 1, 2023, Kathie Lee congratulated the happy couple on Instagram, showing off photos of her third grandchild and his parents.
She captioned the post: “Welcome to the family Ford Matthew Gifford. Thank you God for this beautiful blessing.”
She added: “Bubbe already loves you so much Ford” alongside a red heart emoji.