They say that breaking up is hard to do. Now I know. I know that it’s true. My heart is broken. I actually cried. Kathie Lee and Hoda are no longer a pair on The Today Show. Kathie Lee left after 11 years of swigging wine, blurting out inappropriate comments and making her partner Hoda Kotb, a serious journalist, enjoy life and laugh so hard she would cry.
Kathie Lee is an odd person for me to ‘fangirl’ over. She talked too much about her husband Frank and her kids who could do no wrong. She often quoted Bible verses, which was odd when they had just finished a segment of ‘Steals and Deals,’ highlighting inexpensive products. But in a lot of ways, we are alike, and there was no one quite like her on TV.
Kathie Lee apparently lacks the same filter I do when it comes to asking people questions that are none of her business. She always did it with a smile on her face. The guests usually answered because they were so stunned. In my family, anytime a new person comes around, everyone looks forward to Aunt Patty’s interrogation. I find out everything I need to know to evaluate the person as a future Fitzgerald in less than 20 minutes. It’s a great skill to have.
Kathie Lee laughs too loud and too long. Me too! I can’t help myself. I cackle. So much so that people at restaurants have moved to different tables. I feel bad they aren’t having as much fun as me, and then I realize maybe they want to actually hear each other talk. Kathie Lee is well aware of her age and does everything in her power to prevent it from showing. As regular readers of this column know, I will try anything to not look my age. None of this aging gracefully sh*t. You have a laser that might take 10 years off my face? Fabulous, let’s go!
Kathie Lee thinks she has it ‘going on.’ You know what I mean. When the male guests come on, she tries a little harder, flirts a little too much, moves Hoda out of the shot. Yep, that’s me. I am a 59-year-old woman, but you take me to a bar with my single friends, and all of a sudden, I think some guy who can’t be more than 35 is interested in me. Until I realize he is waving at the bartender. Guess I should wear my glasses.
But the best part about Kathie Lee is how much she loves her friend Hoda, and I am going to miss seeing that every day instead of the fake partnerships on most talk shows. It makes me realize how fortunate I am to have the friends I do. I am a prickly person. I don’t really like to talk on the phone. I don’t really like to go to big events. I get unrelenting migraines, which means I often cancel plans at the last minute. But somehow, my friends hang on even when I try to push them away—whether it is lying in bed with me while my head throbs, agreeing to come on one of my zany outings, or texting that they love me even if I am a little bitchy. So in honor of Kathie Lee, let me quote Proverbs 27:19: ‘A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.’ I hope everyone has a Kathie Lee in their life.
