Kathie Lee Gifford was "surprised" her first grandchild was named after her late husband.
Kathie Lee Gifford welcomes first grandchild
The 68-year-old TV presenter - who has Cody,32, and Cassie, 28, with late husband Frank - became a grandmother for the first time on Wednesday (01.06.22) via her son and his wife Erika and claimed that Cody has "never gotten over" losing his dad at the age of 85 back in 2015.
She said: "I was surprised Cody named him after his dad because Cody knew what it was like to grow up in the shadow of a great. But I guess he's never gotten over, really, and he never will, the loss of his dad at an early age and he was his hero and he still is."
Meanwhile, when it came to choosing a name for her new grandchild to call her, the former 'Today' star revealed that she had taken inspiration from her Jewish heritage after speaking to a friend.
Speaking on 'Today with Hoda and Jenna', she said: "I have a dear friend down here and his Israeli mother, I asked her, 'What's a good word for a Jewish grandmother? And she goes, 'Bubbalah. It's Bubbie.' It's a Yiddish word … and it means dearest one, like cherished one. And the little kid only goes 'ba ba ba ba ba' anyway, so I think it's going to be easy."
Kathie added that Erika came through the birth "so well" and that Baby Frank "bawls" just as loudly as Cody when he was born.
She said: "I'm so thrilled that Erika came through so well. That baby is nursing already and getting all the [nutrients] it needs. And Cody just started to bawl like the baby he used to be when I had him."