Kathie Lee Gifford reveals 50-year friendship with Kris Jenner and family

Kathie Lee Gifford describes one of the most enduring friendships of her life.

In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, the 72-year-old TV personality talked about her upcoming thriller “Nero and Paul,” her thoughts on filming a reality show and her longtime friendship with reality TV star Kris Jenner.

“She’s been my friend for 50 years,” Gifford said of Jenner. “When we met, I was 22 and she was 20. Nobody knew who I was, nobody knew who Kris was, and we were madly in love. I had so much fun.”

She revealed that her life eventually took her to New York, while Jenner built a life in Los Angeles with her first husband, Robert Kardashian.

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Gifford joked that “we all know what happened” in Jenner’s life, adding that she was the one who arranged for Jenner and her family to appear on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” which propelled the entire family to superstardom.

“It’s been nothing but success since then, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom,” he said. “But I haven’t changed, and neither has Kris, actually.”

WATCH: KATHIE LEE GIFFORD SHARES DETAILS ABOUT HER DECADES-YEAR FRIENDSHIP WITH KRIS JENNER

Although Gifford was the one who suggested Jenner and her family have their own reality show, she says it never interested her.

“I’m not acting out this life of mine. I’m living it,” he said. “So I said no to the reality TV series every time it was offered to me. I said, ‘No, I’m in show business, and I chose this as a kid. My kids didn’t want it. I’m going to go home every day to my kids and my husband and live as private a life as possible. I’m going to keep my kids out of it.”

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Gifford said she would never agree to participate in a reality show, even though she was asked multiple times. (Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images for Lionsgate)

Explaining that what Kris Jenner fans see on the show is a personality, she said, “Kris is acting on her own show,” adding that this is the nature of reality TV, where “they have a producer who says, ‘This is what’s going to happen today, make it real, make it fun.'”

The same goes for all members of the family, Gifford said, claiming that they all “showcase their own personalities” and have “learned” to do so over the years.

WATCH: KATHIE LEE GIFFORD SHARES WHY She DID NOT AGREE TO BE ON A REALITY SHOW

Jenner recently celebrated her 70th birthday with a huge party that Gifford attended, but she usually chooses to “turn down most big events” because “they get loud and boisterous and you never even get a chance to talk to anyone.”

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Before leaving for the party, he told Jenner: “I didn’t come to party. I came to love you and remind us of all we’ve been through and God’s faithfulness in our lives.”

Gifford said that while at the party, she found a table in the corner and “avoided taking pictures with him for almost the entire night” because “it was his night.”

Gifford and Jenner spent hours reminiscing about their friendship before Jenner’s birthday party. (Mike Pont/WireImage)

Gifford stated that he came to Los Angeles before her birthday party to give Jenner her gift, adding that the two spent hours “sipping Perrier and lemon and just talking and crying and laughing” about everything they had experienced together.

“He has 13 grandchildren now,” he said. “I have five, and you know he’s in a happy relationship, and I’m a widow. But we’re still the same as we were when we met all those years ago. We just have more to show, that’s for sure. But fundamentally, we’re the same people. And we’re grateful. We’re grateful people.”

Gifford also spoke to Fox News Digital about her new book, “Nero and Paul,” which combines historical accuracy with a fictional narrative to tell the story of Roman Emperor Nero and the Apostle Paul. In the early days of Christianity, Emperor Nero persecuted Christians, arresting and torturing them before execution. Paul was a former persecutor of Christians who became a missionary and was later beheaded in Rome.

WATCH: KATHIE LEE GIFFORD SHARES DETAILS ABOUT HER NEW BOOK ‘NERO AND PAUL’

He said the book was written as a thriller and would tell the “true stories of these people’s lives”, where they “achieved incredible things” in addition to “having sex with everyone and everything” and killing “anyone who got in their way”. He compares this story to that of Paul, who “literally became a martyr for his faith” and says that while there is always evil around, he hopes to convey the message of “the Lord God.” [is] “It’s still present in every nanosecond of our lives.”

Gifford’s new book is called “Nero and Paul.” (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

“So we’re hoping to turn these into a docuseries because they’re so exciting,” he said. “It’s like a thriller. So I try to explain it to people and they listen to me and they enjoy it a lot more. Instead of reading, which is very thick. There’s a lot of history in here, a lot of stuff. When you’re in the car or slowing down or whatever, listen to me and let me tell the story. Let me do the hard work. And you’ll get caught up in this thing and say, ‘Are you?’ you will say. ‘Are you kidding me?’ You know, this is very good.”

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