Talk about awkward! Kathie Lee Gifford probably wants to crawl under a rock right about now. The Today show host had a major mess-up Wednesday morning during a routine interview with comic Martin Short. The veteran actor appeared on the show to promote his new animated film Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that Gifford wasn't properly prepped for the sit-down. During the live chat, the subject of his three grown children came up. But then the conversation shifted to the subject of his relationship. Gifford asked Martin about the secret to his successful marriage to wife Nancy, even mentioning how much they make each other laugh. Unfortunately, the inquiry was nothing for Short to smile about since his beloved spouse has been dead for a year and a half. Short's wife passed away from ovarian cancer back in 2010. The couple had been together more than three decades and had three children. Gifford asked, "How many years are you in love with her now?" Trying to maintain his composure, Short gave a cringe-worthy reply of "Thirty-six." Completely unaware of her mistake, Gifford presses on giddily saying, "But you're still in love. Why?" Like a true professional, Short keeps his cool with clueless Kathie Lee stating, "Cute. I'm cute." Following the interview, Short informed the morning show fixture that his wife was no longer among the living. Gifford later conveyed her sincerest apologies to both Short and the audience. She followed up on Twitter, writing, "I send my sincerest apologies to @martinshort and his family. He handled situation w/enormous grace and kindness and I'm so grateful."