Kathie Lee Gifford recalls being rejected for “Charlie’s Angels” because she wasn’t ‘pretty’ enough

Marina WattsWed, July 1, 2026 at 5:50 PM UTC

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Kathie Lee GiffordCredit: Slaven Vlasic/GettyKey Points -

Kathie Lee Gifford is reflecting on her rejection from Charlie's Angels for not being "pretty" enough.

The television personality was able to laugh the cruelty off, asking to be called when the agent was "casting a cartoon."

"I never was the best singer or actress, but I had the hardest work ethic of everybody, and I made people laugh, even on auditions," Gifford added.

Kathie Lee Gifford is reflecting on being rejected from what became an iconic role.

The television personality opened up about auditioning for Charlie's Angels, under the impression that she was going to replace Kate Jackson after the Sabrina actress left the show in 1979 after season 3.

"My agent called me and said, 'You've got to get down to Aaron Spelling Productions. They want to see you for Charlie's Angels,'" she recalled to PEOPLE. "I had the flu, but he said, 'You've got to, Kathie.'"

Kathy Lee Gifford in 1981Credit: Harry Langdon/Getty

The casting agent didn't give Gifford promising energy when she arrived at the audition. "[She] looks me up and down, and she goes, 'You're not right for Charlie's Angels,'" Gifford continued. She asked the casting agent why she wouldn't be a fit, and was told she wasn't pretty enough.

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"We're looking for a pretty girl. And, well, you're not Farrah [Fawcett]. You're not Jaclyn Smith gorgeous. That's what we're looking for,'" Gifford claimed the agent said.

"I started to laugh inside because it got meaner and meaner. I opened the door to leave, and I went, 'When you're casting a cartoon, let me know!' And I thought, 'I'm going to be just fine in this business.'"

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Gifford, who got her big break in Name That Tunein 1977, reflected on the rejection in 2024 as well, telling PEOPLE that the memory of the agent's cold demeanor stuck with her. "It was like kicking me to the gut. I started to think it was funny. I really did," she said.

"I started to see, first of all, what a bitch she was. What an unnecessary bitch she was. She didn’t say 'Sorry, honey, have a nice life. You're not what we're looking for.' She had to be cruel. She had to be the exact opposite of what my dad taught me to be."

Added Gifford, "The fact that I remember her name to this day is because she was so cruel."

The original iteration of Charlie's Angels ran from1976 to 1981. It was then rebooted into three movies (Charlie's Angels in 2000, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle in 2003, and 2019's Charlie's Angels). There was also a short-lived reboot series in 2011 that lasted for less than one season.

Charlie's AngelsCredit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

In her more recent interview with PEOPLE, Gifford reflected on a casting agent telling her she was "the worst actress I have ever seen." The insult, though cruel, didn't stop her from pursuing her decades-long career in television.

"You just can't let other people define you," Gifford said. "I never was the prettiest at a casting call. I never had the best body. I never was the best singer or actress, but I had the hardest work ethic of everybody, and I made people laugh, even on auditions. And it served me very, very well."

on Entertainment Weekly

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