Celebrity

Kendall and Kylie Jenner Get Advice from Godmother Kathie Lee Gifford via ‘Watch What Happens Live’

Superstars Kendall and Kylie Jenner are offered some words of wisdom from their godmother Kathie Lee Gifford in her recent chat with Andy Cohen.

by Melissa Mitas

Published on October 1, 2020

3 min read

Kathie Lee Gifford’s long friendship with Kris Jenner

Meeting Kendall and Kylie’s mom Kris in the 70s when she was living in California, Gifford revealed the two were soon BFFs.

“We used to go to Bible study together,” Gifford told People in 2019. “We became very, very close friends. She was still married to Robert [Kardashian] and the children were very little.”

Even before the Kardashians became a household name, Gifford recalls their home being like a who’s who of Hollywood.

“It was an insane environment,” the Today Show alum said. “I would be there with [husband] Frank [Gifford] and we would be walking in and the Jackson Five would be walking out. And then as I’m leaving, Wayne Gretzky would be walking in and then an uber-model would be, and a rapper. It was like central casting. You have to see it to believe it.”

Kendall and Kylie Jenner get some sage advice from their godmother

Gifford admits that she hasn’t gotten to spend as much time as she would like with Kendall, 24, and Kylie, 23, since she moved away from California when they were little. Still, she offered her goddaughters some sage advice.

“I would tell them, first of all, ‘Stay close to God’ — and sometimes they do!” she told Cohen in their chat on Watch What Happens Live. “I would tell them to be true to themselves and that’s about it. That’s what I’d tell anybody.”

Always humble, Gifford commented on the importance of staying grounded when you’re a global celebrity.

“They’re not superstars or billionaires when they come into this world, they were just my dear friend’s children,” she said. “That’s what celebrities are anyway, at the end of the day. We’re just people.”

Kathie Lee Gifford keeps it real on fame

Though she doesn’t get to see her goddaughters on a regular basis, Gifford clearly has a special place in her heart for Kendall and Kylie. The former Today Show star remarked on how celebrities are often mistakenly idolized, which can bring disastrous results.

“We have a celebrity-crazed culture, and we put people on pedestals that we’re not made for,” Gifford explained. “People aren’t supposed to sit where only God should sit, on a pedestal. We make huge mistakes when we make our idols out of human beings, because they’re going to topple and fall. Unfortunately in our culture people love to see the fall.”

The television personality expressed concern for those who are willing to sacrifice personal well-being for the sake of fame.

“I hate to see people ruined or destroyed,” Gifford said. “There’s a scripture that always goes through my mind when these things happen. I say ‘There but for the grace of God go I,’ because it could happen to me, too. What does it profit a person if they gain the whole world and lose your very soul? People sell out for celebrity. They really, really do. … It’s heartbreaking.”