Kathie Lee Gifford responds to rumors she could be the 'Golden Bachelorette'
Kathie Lee Gifford is sharing the No. 1 requirement she'd demand if she were to star in "The Golden Bachelorette."
During a March 26 appearance on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, Kathie Lee, 70, and her daughter, Cassidy Gifford, addressed the rumors about the TV legend starring in the upcoming ABC reality dating series for seniors.
Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager unofficially nominated the former fourth hour co-host to be the "Golden Bachelorette" on the air last month. The upcoming series will act as a counterpoint to ABC’s hugely successful “The Golden Bachelor.”
For her part, Kathie Lee doesn’t seem totally opposed to the idea, but she does have certain criteria about the contestants.
"Kathie, we want to apologize for causing drama around 'The Golden Bachelorette,' but we stand by the fact that we think you'd be the best 'Golden Bachelorette' of all time," Jenna said as Kathie Lee laughed.
Hoda, who's obviously given Kathie Lee's casting a lot of thought, chimed in.
"The storyline would be really good because, first of all, you're not someone who would ever go sucking face with someone in a hot tub," she told her former co-host, who jokingly appeared to be considering the idea.
"Not on air," Cassidy quipped as the women laughed.
"Can you imagine how good it would be?" continued Hoda, who described how Kathie Lee's personality would work on a dating competition.
"You would hold all these men at bay and you would make them romance you," said Hoda.
"Earn me, baby," interjected Kathie Lee.
"'Sing me a song, write me a poem,'" continued Hoda. "You would bring romance back. And that's what we need."
"Kathie, will you do it?" pleaded Jenna.
Kathie Lee responded by telling the co-hosts that the choice wasn't hers to make. "I can't do it. They haven't offered it to me," she explained.
She then added, "Well, we've talked about it," not specifying who the "we" in question is.
TODAY.com has reached out to ABC for comment.
It seems Kathie Lee's son, Cody, and Cassidy are not on the same page when it comes to the possibility of their mom starring as "The Golden Bachelorette."
"Cody wants me to do it and she doesn't want me to do it," Kathie Lee said.
Kathie Lee went on to say that if she were to consider the idea, the dating series would have to be "completely different" from other "Bachelor" programs.
"They would have to make (the men) much younger," she joked.
Kathie Lee was married to NFL legend Frank Gifford from 1986 until his death in 2015.
Elsewhere during the interview, Kathie Lee and Cassidy, who star together on the new Prime Video drama "The Baxters," opened up about how their relationship has changed since Cassidy welcomed her first child, son Finn, with husband Ben Wierda in June 2023.
Motherhood, said Cassidy, "has fostered a different appreciation for that motherly love."
"You can hear about it and everyone tells you about it but until it happens — you guys know — it's just the most overwhelming, all-encompassing love," she explained.
"It's given me a lot of grace for my mom," continued Cassidy. "Looking back on times where I might not have had the same amount for her but just understanding that you love your child more than anything in the world."
"So thanks, Mom," she added.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com