In a new interview, Kathie Lee Gifford both reprimands the actions of her longtime pals Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein and admits that she can’t will herself to cut off communication with them just yet. As she explains to Andy Cohen on his SiriusXM Radio Andy show, she’s not a “fair-weathered†friend. “I don’t want to throw everybody on the same manure pile. Being a jerk is not the same as being a rapist. It just isn’t,†she said, according to People. “I’ve been friends with Bill for a long, long time. Harvey Weinstein was a friend of mine for 30 years. I called him and left a message … I just want people to know I don’t judge them. I don’t like what they do, but God knows their hearts and there’s hope for them.â€
Gifford also told Cohen that she was “sexually harassed, sexually abused, and date raped†in the beginning of her career and that she hopes people don’t misunderstand her remarks as condoning Cosby’s and Weinstein’s choices. “I’m not saying that that kind of behavior is in any way acceptable. It isn’t, and it’s horrible, and as a woman who has experienced it, it’s awful,†she said. “But can we at least look at each individual case and see it for what it is? And be merciful to people who are sorry for what they’ve done?†Gifford previously spoke out about how she’s ready to forgive former Today anchor Matt Lauer, saying we need “forgiveness and mercy.â€