Kathie Lee Gifford is already appearing in commercials — during her old timeslot

By MixDex Article may include affiliate links

Well, that didn’t take long — on the first day of “Today” without her as co-host, Kathie Lee Gifford was featured in a commercial hawking the app Takl during her former show.

• In the single-shot commercial, Gifford echos her famous Carnival Cruise Line commercials by signing a custom song about Takl while walking through a “house.”
• Takl bills itself as a “home services on demand” app, which is referenced in Gifford’s song.
• As co-host of “Today” Gifford was likely barred from appearing in any commercials or endorsements because the show is produced by the network’s news division and most news organizations have policies barring employees from endorsement deals.
• With her off the show, however, she is free to do what she’d like.
• Takl, meanwhile, likely approached NBC just like any other advertiser and requested the spot air during “Today with Jenna and Hoda,” which is a standard request for advertisers.
• It’s worth noting, however, that unless this commercial was shot on the weekend of April 6 to 7 and quickly sent through post-production, Gifford would have shot the commercial before she exited NBC News.
• After the commercial aired, the network cut back to “Today” where laughter could be heard on an open mic, though it’s not clear who exactly was laughing or what they were laughing at.