Kathie Lee Gifford reveals she lost 'major' role over appearance

Kathie Lee Gifford has recalled how she was insulted by the “cruel” casting agent in the early days of her career.

Speaking to PEOPLE, the 70-year-old star revealed that she auditioned for a popular TV series Charlie's Angels but didn't get the role because she wasn't pretty enough.

“Let me tell you right now, you’re not right for Charlie’s Angels,” Kathie remembered the agent saying. "We’re looking for a pretty girl. You know, like Jaclyn Smith: pretty, gorgeous, gorgeous.”

She claimed that the agent continued the insulting tirade.

“I said, ‘When you’re casting a cartoon,’ and I threw up my leg. ‘When you’re casting a cartoon, let me know.’ I left, thanking God that I could laugh about it,” the host replied to the casting agent in response to her insult.

“She didn’t say ‘Sorry, honey, have a nice life. You’re not what we’re looking for.’ She had to be cruel. She had to be the exact opposite of what my dad taught me to be. The fact that I remember her name to this day is because she was so cruel,” Kathie added before concluding.

For those unversed, Charlie’s Angels is a crime drama TV series aired on ABC from 1976 to 1981.