Do TV personalities have to share their personal lives?

Seven years have passed since Kathie Lee Gifford left her post at the famous morning show “Live With Regis & Kathie Lee,” and she just revealed her real reason for leaving yesterday in the New York Post.

She said that she left to spend time with her father Aaron Leon Epstein who was dying from a brain disease similar to Alzheimer’s called Lewy Body Dementia.

"My daddy was dying, and I was not comfortable making it public," Gifford reportedly said.

She said that she wanted to deal with the painful family experience without having cameras in her face.

I think this is really interesting because, first, I watch “Live” all the time, even though I should be on my way to work when it comes on. But I watch “Good Morning America” religiously, which comes on before “Live” in my neighborhood.

If you’ve been paying attention, GMA co-host Robin Roberts revealed that she had breast cancer about two weeks ago and announced that she’d be having surgery. in a week.

She said she struggled with the decision to share the news, but decided it could do more good to share. She said that she kept hearing the voice of Joel Siegal, GMA’s movie critic who recently died from cancer, urging people to go to the doctor if they felt anything strange.

Joel’s public battle with cancer inspired Robin to share her very personal battle with breast cancer and at a very scary time. I remember watching and when she announced it and feeling so sad. She had just found out and was unsure about what would happen next.

It was too soon to share in my opinion.

These days, Robin and her doctor do cancer-related segments all the time. (She came back to work a week after surgery.)

Here’s my point, it’s bothers me that TV talent now feel like they owe viewers their lives. I think it’s a sign that our obsession with celebrity in the United States may be going too far.

I don’t blame Kathie Lee for leaving, but it’s a shame that she felt that she had to leave or talk about her personal issues on air.

Robin Roberts is a real journalist, not an actress turned TV host. I’m sure that she never thought her career would force her to share her most personal and terrifying life experiences on the air.

By Sabrina M. Parker