'I Won't Read It': Kathy Lee Gifford Blasts Kelly Ripa For Trash-Talking Regis In New Tell-All Book

Kathy Lee Gifford revealed she won't be reading Kelly Ripa's highly anticipated new tell-all book in which she went into detail about her strained relationship with Regis Philbin, RadarOnline.com can confirm.

Gifford, a longtime "dear friend" of the late television personality, said her experiences with Philbin were nothing but positive and full of memories that she will cherish forever.

"I was really sorry to see the headlines," Gifford said during her candid exchange with Rosanna Scotto on FOX 5's Good Day New York, noting she hoped the claims were not true upon seeing them for the first time during a trip to Israel.

"What's the point?" she questioned.

The duo worked together for 15 years and remained close in real life. Gifford said she saw Philbin just two weeks before he died, noting that his grieving widow, Joy, later said the last time she heard him laugh was during a luncheon they had at her home.

"We always just picked up right where we left off. We were Frick and Frack. We were The Odd Couple. We were absolutely perfect together for television," said Gifford.

"We never had an argument, an unkind word in 15 years," she added. "So, that was my reality."

When asked if Joy would be upset over the claims, Gifford said her first thought was: "Lord. Protect Joy and the girls from this."

The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host died in July 2020 at the age of 88.

Ripa, for her part, admitted that mentioning Philbin in her new book, Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories, was "the hardest chapter to write" during a recent interview.

"There were good and bad days," she shared with PEOPLE about her time on Live! With Regis and Kelly from 2001 to 2011. "I don't want to feel like I'm slamming anyone or that I'm being disrespectful. But, I also want people to know it was not a cakewalk."

Gifford told Scotto that he was never unkind as far as she witnessed.

"I'm not going to say anything ugly about anybody. I never have, and I'm not going to start now. I'm just saying my reality is something completely different from that," Gifford said.