Amid sexual harassment allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, Kathie Lee Gifford, of “Today,” said that she experienced sexual harassment by a television producer when she was 21.
Gifford and co-host Hoda Kotb were speaking about an interview Megyn Kelly conducted with journalist Lauren Sivan when Gifford opened up about her own experience. Sivan accused Weinstein of masturbating in front of her without her permission. Gifford related to the experience by sharing her own story of harassment.
She told the audience that a television producer, whom she did not name, invited her to his home, which led her to endure a similar situation to the one Sivan alleges, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
“I learned from that, boy. I felt grateful I got out of there without being raped,” she added. “When you’re so demeaned, you feel dirty and so stupid. I thought, ‘Kathie, idiot. Never go to somebody’s house.’ I was 21 years old.”
Gifford also spoke of the allegations against Weinstein, with whom she’s been friends for a long time:
I never saw any of this. I’m not saying it didn’t happen. I’m just saying I know a different man, just like I did with Bill Cosby. So it’s very upsetting to me on a personal level. This is a man I considered a friend. I feel for his family, and I feel for him. It’s also upsetting for me as a woman that this kind of behavior is real, and no one ever thinks it’s going to catch up with them.
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