Why Was Kathie Lee Gifford Hospitalized? Inside the ‘Today’ Alum’s Health Battle and Recovery

In July 2024, Kathie Lee Gifford revealed she was hospitalized after an accident at her Nashville home. The Today host opened up about her recovery and nursing her injury.

What Happened to Kathie Lee Gifford?

Kathie Lee previously underwent knee replacement surgery, she told People in mid-July 2024. At the time, she was recovering while gearing up for the release of her latest book, Herod and Mary: The True Story of the Tyrant King and the Mother of the Risen Savior. The Today alum called the surgery “one of the most painful situations of my entire life.”

She was advised by her doctors to take it easy and relax amid her recovery. The Live With Regis and Kathie Lee star admitted it was difficult for her to take a step back from her busy lifestyle in Nashville to focus on getting better.

“I walked, I climbed, I walked, and my doctor said, ‘Kathie, no. You have got to realize that this is serious,’” she told the outlet. “And I was off my walker in two days. I was off all my medications in three days, and then I did too much. I just did too much because that’s who I am.”

“I started carrying books around and signing and getting ready, and my grandchildren came to visit,” Kathie Lee added. “And you can’t. I have learned from this that you only can only do so much. You’re just human. You’re just human. And I’m so grateful.”

Why Was Kathie Lee Gifford Hospitalized?

A few weeks after opening up to fans about her knee replacement surgery, Kathie Lee told People that she was hospitalized for over a week after falling amid her recovery. She fractured her pelvis in two places and had to undergo physical therapy after sustaining the injury.

Kathie Lee explained that she “moved 300 books by myself” while signing new copies of her latest novel. “I weakened my body,” the singer-songwriter explained. “It’s my own fault.” While hurrying to answer her door for her friends at her home the next day, she lost her footing and tripped.

“It didn’t take much, because I was weak in that spot,” Kathie Lee said. “And the next thing you know, I am back in the hospital with a fractured pelvis, the front and the back. That’s more painful than anything I went through with the hip. The pelvis is unbelievably painful. But anyway, here I am.”

Kathie Lee said it was a “humbling experience” to end up in the hospital again after her surgery. She revealed how she planned on spending her time while healing from her injury.

“It’s summer for everybody but me,” the Baxters actress said. “But it’s OK. I’m going to get out to my little farm one of these days and stick my feet in my salt pool. The Lord is telling me it’s time to slow down. I’ve been running my whole life. The Lord is telling me, ‘You’ve planted a gazillion roses. Try smelling them.'”