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Kathie Lee Gifford: Kris Jenner Is “Trying to Get Her Act Together,” Wants to Be a Good Friend to Bruce Jenner

Kathie Lee Gifford, Kris Jenner, Bruce Jenner
Kathie Lee Gifford explained on Monday, April 27, how close family friend Kris Jenner has been handling Bruce Jenner's transition from male to female.

She’s trying! Several days after Bruce Jenner’s revealing interview with Diane Sawyer, longtime Kardashian family friend Kathie Lee Gifford addressed several lingering questions on Monday, April 27, about how Kris Jenner has been handling her ex-husband’s transition from male to female.

Related: PHOTOS: Bruce Jenner through the years

Gifford, 61, who with her husband Frank Gifford are old pals with the reality duo, both spoke to Bruce before he publicly shared his decision during the 20/20 special. “I never saw this coming,” Gifford revealed to her co-host Hoda Kotb on the Today show. “It shocked me as much… Frank had told me.”

Kathie lee and Bruce
Bruce Jenner and Kathie Lee Gifford attend the Annual Charity Day Hosted By Cantor Fitzgerald And BGC in 2013.

Related: PHOTOS: Celebs' coming out stories

Kathie then had a personal conversation with Bruce last week about his transition. “Nothing I said, or he said to me, will ever be revealed,” she told viewers. “But, I’m glad that we did have a long talk because I was prepared for everything he was going to say and even more, and I am grateful for that because we all want to know how to go forward. We all want to love him through this.”

One person who’s particularly struggled with Bruce’s transition is Kris Jenner. (As ABC News confirmed to Us Weekly last Friday, Jenner’s third wife gave no comment to the network, and chose to support him via social media instead.)

“The other [wives Chrystie Crownover and Linda Thompson], both fine women, had a long time to get used to this,” Gifford continued. “This was new to Kris. She’s trying to get her act together. She’s trying to be a good friend to him. Trying to still be a good parent. It’s complicated in ways that we cannot even comprehend. Frank and I send our love and prayers to Bruce and his family. God loves you and so do we.”

Related: PHOTOS: Celeb LGBT alies

Joking, she added: “The biggest surprise is that Bruce is a Republican.”

Overall, Gifford commended Bruce for his brave public announcement. “We also know that there are children who are… that have to learn how to deal with this,” she reflected. “If you could imagine the surprise — I mean how do you deal with that? The way you do is ultimately when you put love first and try to put yourself in someone else’s high heels, I suppose, and Louboutins in their case. The story isn’t over obviously. The transition goes on.”

Related: PHOTOS: Celebs and their political affiliations

E! confirmed to Us Weekly on Friday — moments after Bruce revealed that he is “a woman” — that it will document the former Olympian’s transition from male to female. “Bruce is incredibly courageous and an inspiration, and we are proud to be entrusted with this deeply personal and important story,” Jeff Olde, Executive Vice President of Programming and Development, told Us Weekly in a statement. “This series will present an unfiltered look as Bruce boldly steps into uncharted territory and is true to himself for the first time.”

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