BRAVE MAG

Kathie Lee Gifford is recalling seeing her old colleague, Regis Philbin, two weeks before his death at age 88

NEED TO KNOW

• She says they had a three-hour lunch and 'laughed their butts off'

• She also says she heard the Lord's voice tell her it would be the last time she saw him

Kathie Lee Giffordis opening up about the last lunch she had with her former co-hostRegis Philbin, telling PEOPLE that she saw him two weeks beforehis death in 2020, and that they 'laughed their butts off."

"I saw him a lot," Gifford says, of remaining close with Philbin after she left their talk show,Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, after 15 years together. "We became much closer friends even as the years went on, after I left. We lived very close to each other in Greenwich."

Gifford, 72, who just released her new biblical fiction bookNero and Paul,says that even though she moved to Tennessee after she leftTodayin 2019, she still visited the East Coast every six weeks and would check in on her old pal.

"I saw him two weeks before he died," she says of Philbin. "We had a three-hour lunch, and I had everything he loved made for him that day. And we laughed, oh, we laughed our butts off."

She says when he passed, she woke up with a strange feeling.

"I was back in [the South] and had writing sessions and recording sessions and was always busy, but then one morning I woke up, and the Lord told me very clearly — I don't hear him, but I know his voice, if that makes any sense — and he said, "Get on a plane and go home.'"

Advertisement

Gifford continues, "I didn't know why he said it, but I got on a plane, and no sooner had I landed than I turned my phone back on and there was a message from a dear friend who said, 'I'm so sorry about your friend Regis.' And I knew, because when I'd seen him two weeks before, when he got out of the car to come into my house, [the Lord] said, 'This is the last time you're gonna see him.'"

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Gifford felt some peace when she learned that he'd enjoyed their final meeting as much as she had.

"I went over to see his wife and their two daughters, and right as soon as I knew, took all my wine and a whole ton of food, whatever I had, got over there and had a wonderful visit with Joy," she recalls.

Gifford continues, "I won't go into it because it was private, but the main thing she said to me that I'll never forget was, "'Kathie, the last time I heard Regis laugh was with you.'"

Read the original article onPeople

KYIV, Ukraine — A combined missile and drone attack on the Kyiv region killed at least four people and wounded at least 15 overnight into Saturday, according to the head of the regional administration for the Ukrainian capital.

Three of the wounded were in critical condition, of whom two were undergoing surgery, Mykola Kalashnyk reported on Saturday. The attack hit four districts, damaging residential buildings, educational institutions, enterprises and critical infrastructure, Kalashnyk added in a social media post.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyysaid the main target for the overnight strikes was "the energy infrastructure of the Kyiv region." He said Russia launched around 430 drones of various types during the night, as well as 68 missiles.

Russia's Defense Ministryon Saturday said the nighttime strikes targeted energy and industrial facilities serving Ukraine's armed forces, as well as military airfields.

The strikes came days after the U.S. postponedpeace talks between Russia and Ukrainescheduled for this week, citing the war in the Middle East.

As U.S. and Israeli missiles and bombs rain on Iran, Russia has responded with words of indignation but no action to support its ally. Moscow's failure to help another ally, after the 2024 ouster of formerSyrian ruler Bashar al-Assadand January's U.S. arrest of Venezuelan leaderNicolas Maduro, highlighted the limits of its influence — but the Kremlin expects to reap benefits from the Iran war.

Russia is already profiting from a surge in global energy prices, and could hope that the Mideast war will detract attention from Ukraine and deplete Western arsenals.

Zelenskyy on Saturday called on Kyiv's Western partners to pay "one hundred percent attention" to the need to boost the production of air defense missiles.

Advertisement

"Russia will try to exploit the war in the Middle East to cause even greater destruction here in Europe, in Ukraine," he said in a post on social media.

"We must be fully aware of the real level of the threat and prepare accordingly, namely: in Europe, we need to develop the production of air defense missiles — especially those capable of countering ballistic threats — as well as all other systems necessary to truly protect lives," he said.

Kyiv is also awaiting White House approval for a major drone production agreement proposed by Ukraine last year, Zelenskyy said Thursday, as countries scramble to modernize their air defenses afterthe Iran war exposed shortcomings.

Also on Thursday, Zelenskyy criticized the 30-day U.S. waiver on Russian oil sanctions amid the war in the Middle East, saying it is "not the right decision" and won't help bring a stop to Russia's more than 4-year-old invasion of Ukraine.

"This easing alone by the United States could provide Russia with about $10 billion for the war," Zelenskyy said. "This certainly does not help peace."

Overnight into Saturday, Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery and port in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, local Russian officials reported.

Krasnodar authorities said three people were hurt in a strike on Port Kavkaz, a port opposite Crimea used to ship liquefied natural gas and grains. A service vessel and pier infrastructure were damaged, they said in a social media post. One person was hospitalized, they added in a separate post later.

Falling drone debris also sparked a fire at the region's Afipsky oil refinery, authorities said in a separate Telegram post. They said no one was hurt, but did not immediately comment on damage.

Earlier this week, Russian and Ukrainian officials both claimed front-line progress, with Ukraine saying it pushed Moscow's forces back across places on the front line and the Kremlin insisting Russia's invasion of its neighbor is making progress.

Saturday Night Live is new on March 14

NEED TO KNOW

• Harry Styles is serving as both host and musical guest

• SNL airs at 11:30 p.m. EST / 8:30 p.m. PST on NBC

Saturday Night Liveis new tonight!

After the late-night comedy sketch series sawRyan Goslingserve as host and Gorillaz perform as the musical guest on March 7,SNLis back for another episode on Saturday, March 14.

SNLwent through a cast shakeup following itsmilestone 50th season.Devon Walker,Emil Wakim,Michael Longfellow,Heidi GardnerandEgo Nwodimall announced their exits, and the television seriesadded some fresh faces to the mixfor season 51, with Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska all joining as featured players, alongside returnees Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline.

That group joined returning cast membersMichael Che,Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes,Chloe Fineman,Marcello Hernández,James Austin Johnson,Colin Jost,Sarah Sherman,Kenan Thompson.Bowen Yangalso rejoined, but he later exitedSNLduring the Dec. 13 episode.

Here, find everything you need to know about episode fifteen ofSNL's season 51.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Is there a new episode ofSNLtonight?

Yes,SNLis new on Saturday, March 14.

It is the fifteenth episode of season 51.

Advertisement

Who is host and who is musical guest?

Harry Stylesis pulling double duty, serving as both the host and musical guest. The singer, 32, previously did the same in November 2019.

Before that, Styles performed as a musical guest in April 2017, and he appeared as a musical guest alongside hisOne Directionbandmates on three separate occasions in April 2012, December 2013 and December 2014.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

What time doesSNLair?

SNLairs at 11:30 p.m. EST / 8:30 p.m. PST.

Where can I watchSNL?

New episodes ofSNLair live onNBCandPeacockon Saturdays, and they are later available to stream.

Who will host and perform onSNLnext?

SNLhas not yet announced who the next slate of hosts and musical guests will be.

Saturday Night Liveairs weekends on NBC.

Read the original article onPeople