Kathie Lee Gifford shared how she and her late husband, Frank Gifford, approached raising their children to not become “spoiled brats.”
The 70-year-old former talk show host shared son Cody, 34, and daughter Cassidy, 30, with the NFL legend, who died from natural causes at the age of 84 in 2015.
“Frank and I were both very careful to raise our children,” Gifford told the New York Post in a joint interview with Cassidy. “We didn’t want them to be one more spoiled brat in Hollywood kind of thing.”
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Kathie Lee Gifford explained how she and her late husband Frank Gifford raised their children to not become “spoiled brats.” (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
She continued, “We lived in Greenwich, Connecticut, but spoiled brats are everywhere.”
“Just watch the TV shows these days,” Gifford added with a laugh. “And a lot of them grow up to be spoiled adults. And, we were just really crazed about making them incredibly polite. That was so important to me that anytime we left our home and we were with other people or we were in public.”
The former “Today” anchor recalled that Cassidy “became a maniac” about being polite to others when she was a little girl.
“If a waitress with something brought her or something, Cassidy would say thank you,” Gifford remembered. “And then if she didn’t say anything, Cassidy would go, ‘Thank you.’ And then she’d walk away and Cassidy would go, ‘She didn’t say thank you, mommy.'”
“And one time the waitress goes, ‘Oh, you’re welcome, kid.'”
“That phase has passed by the way,” Cassidy noted.
“Now you say ‘I’m sorry’ all the time,” Gifford told her daughter while laughing. “She’s so sweet. That’s what I mean. She’s so sweet to everybody. I raised a very kind person. And Cody is the same way.”
Frank and Kathie Lee Gifford shared son Cody, 34, and Cassidy, 30. (Sylvain Gaboury/FilmMagic)
Both Cassidy and Cody have followed in their mother’s footsteps by pursuing careers in the entertainment industry.
Cody is a film and TV producer and screenwriter and the founder of Gifford Media Group, a multimedia development, production and intellectual property management company, according to IMDB.
Cassidy is an actress who has starred in the movies “Time Trap, “The Gallows,” “Like Cats and Dogs” and “Ten: Murder Island.” She is now appearing alongside her mother in the new faith-based series “The Baxters,” which premieres March 28 on Prime Video.
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Based on novelist Karen Kingsbury’s bestselling book series of the same name, “The Baxters” follows the saga of the Baxter family, including patriarch John (Ted McGinley) and matriarch Elizabeth (Roma Downey), and their adult children “as they navigate life’s highs and lows, both with and without God,” according to a synopsis of the show.
Kathie Lee Gifford and daughter Cassidy Gifford made an appearance on the “Today” show on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
Cassidy is playing the role of Reagan Decker, a co-worker of Kari Baxter (Ali Cobrin) and love interest of Kari’s youngest brother, Luke Baxter (Josh Plesse). Gifford made a special guest appearance as Elizabeth’s friend Lillian Ashford, whose son tragically died in a car accident.
While speaking of Cody and Cassidy’s careers, Gifford told the New York Post, “I wish them well, and I’ll help them if they need it.”
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“But for the most part, once my children were adults, I try to stay out of their lives,” she explained. “If they need me, they can call me and tell me.”
“But I’m not a hoverer,” Gifford added.
Ali Cobrin, Roma Downey, Karen Kingsbury, Brandon Hirsch, Asher Morrissette, Cassidy Gifford and Kathie Lee Gifford attend “The Baxters” special screening for fans and readers on March 19, 2024, in Franklin, Tennessee. ( Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images for Prime Video)
During their interview with the New York Post, Gifford and Cassidy shared how they related to the faith and family focus of “The Baxters.”
“I’ve never been a fan of religion,” Gifford said. “It just puts people in chains. But a relationship with a living God, that’s authentic and real and raw.”
“I think that’s why I’m at my happiest — when I’m doing creative things, whether I’m planning a garden at the farm or I’m, you know, writing a movie,” she explained.
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Cassidy emphasized the importance of being able to lean on family while overcoming difficult times.
“If you have a really strong foundation of your family and your faith, it shows that you can get through some of the toughest hardships that come your way,” she shared.
“But you really can get through it all if you have good people around you. Ultimately, you are the company you keep.”