Kathie Lee Gifford's new series 'The Jesus I Know' highlights celebrity's stories of faith
Television personality Kathie Lee Gifford has launched a new program highlighting the Christian testimonies of public figures to offer viewers a chance to hear how God fashioned their lives in unique ways so they might fulfill His purpose on earth.
Gifford's Fox Nation program, “The Jesus I Know," is currently available for streaming and features individuals from a variety of areas across the entertainment and news industry.
In the five-part series, the former “Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee” star welcomes her fellow television personalities and celebrity friends to share stories about their close encounters with the Lord.
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As Fox News reported, the first episode showed Gifford interviewing Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth about facing rejection in show business and how the Lord provided in an industry where one’s career trajectory is typically uncertain.
“I remember saying to people, ‘How could I not be a Christian in this business?” Gifford said. “There’s so much rejection, right?”
“Every day,” Chenoweth responded in agreement with Gifford's assessment.
Gifford said that she and the actress had the Lord with them, something the talk show host said was their “secret weapon.”
The former “Today” co-host said she initially thought her career would only lead to her being in the background of a choir or taking on a role as an extra. She said she “never dreamed the Lord would take [her] as far as He did,” another sentiment that prompted agreement from Chenoweth.
The second episode features pop star Justin Bieber’s mother, Pattie Mallette, sharing her story of how a youth center director inspired her to pursue a new direction in life after she hit “rock bottom” as a teen.
"What do you have to lose by giving God a chance?" Mallette recalled the youth director telling her. "What if He has a purpose and a plan for you? You don’t want your life. Why don’t you give it to God and see what He can do with it?"
The following episodes featured songwriters and producers Chuck Harmony and Claude Kelly — together known as Louis York — Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean and country music star Jimmy Wayne. Each public figure revealed the unique way God played a hand in moving their lives in the direction He wanted.
This is not the first time Gifford has used her platform to share God's message.
As the author of over 25 books, the multi-hyphenate recently released a new book The Jesus I Know: Honest Conversations and Diverse Opinions about Who He is. The book contains 25 conversations Gifford has had with celebrities, as well as religious scholars, about Jesus and the role He plays in people’s lives today. The book features discussions with journalist Megyn Kelly, musician Brian Welch and others.
In an interview last November with The Christian Post, the television host revealed she was initially hesitant to write a book centered around her conversations about the Lord.
“I said I’d have to pray about it,” she recalled. “I was kind of cynical about it because there has to be tone and context. It’s a dialogue between two people, and you can’t hear them or see their facial expressions. I’m used to television as a medium, so I wasn’t even sure it would work.”
She said the reaction she got from people about the book was “extraordinary."
“It’s capturing people’s imaginations," Gifford said.
Each person in the book has a different story about their experiences with God. Gifford credited the Lord with leading her to all the right people.
“I prayed about it. I said, ‘Lord, who do you want me to talk to?’ And He led me to every one of these people,” she said. “What I hope from this book is that after reading, people will go, ‘Lord, where am I guilty of never leaving my pew in my church, never getting out of my comfort zone, being afraid to talk to people that don’t look like me or believe like me.’”
She said, “that’s the very thing God wants us to do.”
“Jesus says, ‘Go where the world tells you you should never go’ because that’s exactly where He wants us to go,” the actress said.
Gifford encouraged Christians to learn Scripture in its original Hebrew and Greek languages and to “put it in your heart and apply it to your everyday life.”
“And all of a sudden, you’re on fire, and nothing can stop you because we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us,” she concluded.
