Kathie Lee lights up the Rehoboth Christmas tree

Rehoboth Beach was center stage in 1996 when Kathie Lee Gifford brought a crew from her show, “Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee” to the city’s annual Christmas tree lighting and sing-along at the Bandstand. Footage of the event and scenes from Gifford’s parents’ home in Henlopen Acres were featured in a primetime Christmas special on CBS. 

Gifford and Regis Philbin co-hosted their popular daytime talk show from 1988 to 2000, when she moved on and was replaced with Kelly Ripa, who still hosts the show today. Gifford then teamed up with Hoda Kotb to host the fourth hour of the “Today” show. Kotb is also no stranger to Rehoboth Beach, as she owns a home in the the Rehoboth area and has vacationed in the Nation’s Summer Capital several times.