When Kathie Lee Gifford was inducted into Broadcasting & Cable's Hall of Fame on Tuesday night, one of her fellow inductees was fittingly her late husband, Frank Gifford, in a ceremony filled with her trademark humor and emotion.
"It is a huge honor,'' Gifford said on TODAY Wednesday. "The best part of the evening was that they also honored Frank. I think it's the only hall of fame he is not yet in. Our children were there to receive it for their dad, so it was going to be difficult for me emotionally."
The honor for Frank Gifford, who died at 84 years old on Aug. 9, was accepted by the couple's children, Cody and Cassidy. Kathie Lee received her award from her TODAY co-host Hoda Kotb and her former longtime co-host Regis Philbin, who was with her on "The Morning Show" and "Live With Regis and Kathie Lee" from 1985 to 2000.
"Thank God I got this award before Kelly Ripa,'' she joked in her acceptance speech, referring to Philbin's co-host who came after Gifford. "I mean, how embarrassing would that be?"
Frank was a Hall of Fame running back and wide receiver with the New York Giants in the 1950s, and he went on to become an Emmy-winning part of the iconic "Monday Night Football" broadcasting team for 28 years.
"I have to thank my incredible husband, who taught me so much, who was the most generous person I've ever met,'' Kathie Lee said at the end of her speech while holding back tears. "He gave me the two greatest gifts that any human being could have and that's their children. My children make me a better person every day."
She was joined at the ceremony held at the Waldorf Astoria New York hotel by several members of the TODAY family, including anchors Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Natalie Morales and Tamron Hall.
"It's the kind of the thing you dread because you're in it,'' Kathie Lee said on TODAY. "You dread it because so many things can go wrong. I'd rather give an award than receive one. It's just easier."
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