The Untold Truth Of Kathie Lee Gifford's Son, Cody

Cody Gifford, the son of iconic TV presenter Kathie Lee Gifford and former New York Giants football player Frank Gifford, grew up in the spotlight with his famous parents. His mom often spoke of Cody and his sister, Cassidy, while hosting Today and Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee, allowing viewers to join in the journey of kids becoming adults. And Cody sure has grown up — he turned 30 in 2020 and got engaged to his girlfriend in 2019!

Almost two decades before Cody popped the question, he had a part in Disney's Model Behavior in 2000, suggesting an acting career was in his future. However, Kathie's son went the traditional college route after high school, attending Oxford University in Tennessee and the University of Southern California, according to Closer Weekly.

While still in school, Cody began to pursue a behind-the-scenes career in Hollywood. He worked at Ridley Scott's Scott Free Productions before moving over to Twentieth Century Fox as a writer's assistant, according to his IMDb biography provided by his management. Cody has since launched his own company, Gifford Media Group, which appears to be in its early stages. As of this writing, Cody has the company listed in his Twitter bio, and Trademark Elite shows that the trademark for the company got filed in February 2020.

Curious to know more about Kathie's only son? Keep reading to find out who his lucky fiancee is.

Cody Gifford got engaged to his college sweetheart, Erika Brown, in May 2019. Excited mom Kathie Lee Gifford shared the news on her Instagram, accompanied by a beautiful photo of the couple. 

As for the pair's sweet love story, they met while in school at the University of Southern California. Erika is very close to Cody's sister, Cassidy Gifford, who will be her own sister once the two get married. Erika is a dancer and actor, according to the Associated Press, and has appeared on Hawaii 5-0 and Dexter. Her acting credits might have helped her fully integrate into the famous family, as evidenced by her appearance on Family Feud with Kathie Lee Gifford, Cody, Cassidy, and her new husband, Ben Wierda.

Although Cody doesn't actively use Instagram (and barely uses his Twitter), Erika, Kathie Lee, and Cassidy all share photos and stories of him from time to time. Cassidy often shares cute throwback photos, including ones of the whole family from before their dad, Frank Gifford, passed away. The NFL legend died in 2015 at his home in Greenwich, Conn., where Cody and Cassidy grew up. We wish Cody and Erika the best in their next chapter.

There's no doubt that Kathie Lee Gifford adores her children, Cody and Cassidy Gifford. However, now that they're adults, their relationship with their mother has changed. Along with the fact that both are engaged and establishing their own lives, they've also both based themselves in Los Angeles, while their mom lives across the country in New York City, according to People. However, the distance can't keep this close family apart.

"They come home a lot, and it means the world to me," Kathie told People in 2017. "When your children ultimately become your dear friends, you know you've made a switch in the relationship."

Kathie also noted that Cody and Cassidy are "both great human beings who realized that their mama needs them now more than they need" her. That may be how Kathie sees it, but as for Cody, he still looks up to his mom. While opening up about his famous parent in April 2019 when Kathie was exiting the Today show, he sat beside his sister, saying, "To us, she's a legendary mom." Aw!

Cody Gifford may be taking more of a behind-the-scenes role in TV and film with his company, Gifford Media Group, but he has spent some time on screen, most notably alongside his famous mother, Kathie Lee Gifford. Aside from popping up on his mom's shows when he and his sister, Cassidy, were young, Cody also worked with Kathie Lee on Today as an intern when she hosted the fourth hour with Hoda Kotb.

Not only was Cody an all-around helper (as interns are!), but he also co-hosted a segment called "Weekend Movie Preview," where he gave his own recommendations and film critiques. However, Kathie Lee didn't always make the job easy for her son. "She keeps telling Jill [one of the other employees] that I have a crush on her," he joked during an interview with Today about how his mom embarrasses him at work. " ... Just little stuff like that, it's never been detrimental to me." Gushing about Kathie Lee's influence, Cody added, "She's been very, very supportive of everything I do, whether it's sports, whether it's this, whether it's pursuing a career in film studies and ultimately hopefully directing one day, she's been great."

Today show executive producer Jim Bell defended the decision to hire Cody amid cries of nepotism, telling the New York Post, "Is he getting an opportunity here? Yeah, but so be it. We like him and he's a smart kid and a good kid."