Kathie Lee Gifford Corrects the Record on Frank Gifford's 1997 Infidelity

The former Today show host made the distinction during a July 15 appearance on Hang Out with Sean Hannity, per E! News.

"People call it an affair," Kathie Lee said. "People call it an affair," "No, an affair is not a tryst at a hotel one time. At all." "No, an affair is not a tryst at a hotel one time. At all." The incident involved a one-night stand with flight attendant Suzen Johnson. It became a national scandal after a tabloid published an audio recording, which Kathie Lee described at the time as "another betrayal." "another betrayal."

She addressed the personal fallout head-on. "It was horrible," she admitted. "It was horrible," "He was my hero. It took a long, long time for me to gain trust again." "He was my hero. But you know what I did? The Bible says, ‘Be anxious for nothing,’ right? Now, did I threaten divorce? No." Despite the pain, she said forgiveness was immediate. "I forgave him the minute he said it was true," she recalled. "I forgave him the minute he said it was true," She also denied reports that she temporarily left their home. "That’s not true," she said. "That’s not true." "I never left my home." "I never left my home."

The Aftermath

Kathie Lee, now 72, and Frank were married in 1986 and shared two children, Cody, 36, and Cassidy, 32. She told E! Frank Gifford died in 2015.

"If I had run when Frank had his temporary insanity... then our children wouldn't have their father," she said, adding, "Too many families break up over something that could be healed."