Kathie Lee Gifford apologizes for Martin Short interview gaffe

Veteran comedian and actor Martin Short appeared on the Today Show for a little sit down interview with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb. What ensued was one of the most uncomfortable moments in recent live TV history.

Short was on to promote the well reviewed new film Madagascar 3 when Kathie Lee asked Short:

“And you and Nancy have one of the greatest marriages of anybody in show business. How many years now for you guys?”

What Gifford was not aware of was that Short’s lovely wife, Nancy Dolman, died in August 2010 from ovarian cancer. Here’s the clip cut down to just the extremely awkward moment courtesy of TMZ:

Regretfully, KLG went on…

Kathie Lee: How many years for you guys?

Short: 36 years.

Kathie Lee: But you’re still like in love!

Short: Madly in love (head hanging down), madly in love.

Kathie Lee: Why?

Short: Cute. I’m cute.

Kathie Lee: And you make each other laugh right?

In the clip you see Kathie’s apology from later on in the show. She reveals that Martin himself let her know in a very nice and encouraging way that his wife had passed away. She apologizes to Short and his family, obviously embarrassed.

While Kathie Lee’s gaffe was certainly cringe-worthy what really stood out was Short’s professionalism and empathy for a fellow entertainer. He calmly answered the questions on air and his responses reflected the love he still has for his late wife. In addition he didn’t later have a rep call Today to complain, but instead politely made Kathie Lee aware of the mistake.

That is class through and through and reflects greatly on the character and veteran experience of Short. Gifford took to her Twitter once again to express her regret for the mistake:

Photo: Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com