“I said to my kids at the table, ‘Well, pigs have now officially flown,’ as soon as I heard it.”
In her new book “I Want to Matter: Your Life Is Too Short and Too Precious to Waste,” Kathie Lee Gifford details the resolution of her decades-long conflict with Howard Stern. Stern left an unexpected voicemail apologizing for his previous actions to start the reconciliation.
In a Fox News Digital interview, Gifford talked of how surprised she was to get the message. “Getting a voicemail from Howard Stern surprised me,” 70-year-old Gifford recalled. “I told my kids at the table after listening to it, ‘Well, pigs have now officially flown,'” Declaring, “I just always believe God can touch anybody’s heart… I’m not allowed to hate anybody that hates me,” she underlined her commitment to forgiveness.
Gifford and Stern started their rivalry in 1995 when Gifford was selected to perform the national anthem at Super Bowl XXIX. Gifford claimed to have heard booing during her performance and to have later discovered that Stern had supposedly urged his listeners to do so.
Years later, Gifford stated she was moved to cordially greet Stern when he was a guest on “Today.” ‘Kathie, go down and say hello to him and wish him well with the show,’ the Lord commanded. ‘OK, Lord,’ I responded. Then Gifford remembered. Though her coworkers warned her not to go, she went up to Stern to wish him well. Stern apologized sincerely on a voicemail she got later that day. When he called again, Gifford answered, although not right away. When Stern begged her for forgiveness, Gifford said, “I’ve been praying for you every day since I forgave you 30 years ago.”
In keeping with the reconciliation, Gifford extended an invitation to Stern to supper. Stern, she called “a very odd duck,” but they have since had friendly exchanges.
Gifford explores forgiveness in other facets of her life in her biography as well. She talks of accepting her late husband Frank Gifford’s 1997 public admission of infidelity.
Gifford gave her faith credit for her ability to endure the trying time. “You have hope when you believe in something as strong as we do, and we’re thankful for it,” she told USA TODAY.
Natural causes claimed the life of former NFL player and sportscaster Frank Gifford in 2015. Following their 1986 wedding, he and Kathie Lee Gifford welcomed two children.
With the goal of highlighting the value of second chances and faith, Gifford’s latest book delves deeply into her experiences and thoughts on forgiveness.