Martin Short’s beloved wife of 36 years died of ovarian cancer in 2010 but apparently Kathie Lee Gifford was not clued in on the sad fact before she interviewed Short on The Today Show this morning.
Gifford tried to compliment to comedian by saying, “You and Nancy have one of the greatest marriages of anybody in show business. How many years now for you guys?”
Without missing a beat or a bit of grace, Short handled the question by speaking about his wife in the present tense, “We have been married 36 years.” Gifford continued the awkward moment by asking, “But you are still like, in love?” To which Short replied, “Madly in love, madly in love.”
“Why?’ a smiling Gifford asked. “Cute, I’m cute.”
Gifford Tweeted not long after the interview aired:”I send my sincerest apologies to Martin Short and his family. He handled situation w/enormous grace and kindness and I’m so grateful.”
Watch Kathy Lee Gifford and Martin Short’s interview in the YouTube video clip below [the awkwardness starts at :45 mark]: