Kathie Lee Gifford Compares Matt Lauer’s Sexual Allegations to Finding out Her Husband Cheated

After it was announced on Wednesday that Matt Lauer had been fired from NBC, his Today show co-anchors reacted to the news on-air, including Savannah Guthrie, who announced the news, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker and later, Kathie Lee Gifford.

Gifford, who hosts the fourth hour of the Today show with Kotb, compared discovering that Lauer had been fired after NBC received a complaint accusing the anchor of inappropriate sexual behavior to finding out that her late husband, Frank Gifford, had cheated on her.

“I’m grappling with, should I even share something? But I guess I really should,” Gifford began.

“I don’t feel that Matt has betrayed us in any way at all but when I found out that my husband had betrayed me, you question your own judgment,” she said. “You say, ”Was everything a lie?” And I think we have to very much fight against that, that the man we know and adored was the man we loved and adored and continue to.”

“I texted [Lauer] this morning and said ‘I adore you and no person is perfect in this world,” Gifford continued. “And what we need now is forgiveness and mercy for one another.”

People shares that news of Frank Gifford’s infidelity broke in 1997 when it was revealed that he had had a two-day liaison at a hotel with married flight attendant Suzen Johnson. The Giffords, who stayed together, denied the story until tabloid the Globe published stills and video from the encounter.

“No person is perfect in this world,” Gifford said on the show Wednesday. “Nobody is…I send out my love right now to the person, whoever it is, that came forward. May God heal that person. I send it to Matt, and his children and his wife — may God bless that family and heal. I’m sorry, Hoda, but in my long life, the only thing I’ve ever been sure of is that only God can heal it. And there’s no bad time to reach out for his help.”

“This is a good way to think of it, too,” she added. “There was a man — a wonderful, wonderful man who was an advisor to me and Frank through our lifetime — and I had my eyes just on me for a long time, and I was upset and hurt, which you would normally be, like I’m sure Matt’s family is. And he said, ‘Kathie, if you can’t forgive your husband,’ — and this is important, you guys — ‘forgive your children’s father.’ Same person. Same person, but that’s the one you love. That’s the one you believe in. We are all so broken. We need somebody to put us back together. And it’s possible, it’s so possible. I’m living proof of it. Didn’t mean to go to church, but that’s where we needed to go today.”

Photo Credit: NBC