Kathie Lee Gifford’s Daughter Cassidy Engaged to Ben Wierda, Betsy DeVos’ Nephew

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Cassidy Erin Gifford is an actress and daughter of talk show host Kathie Lee Gifford. She is also newly engaged, as her mom took to Instagram Sunday (Nov. 17) to share the big news that her daughter is engaged to Ben Wierda.

“So thrilled to announce that my beautiful daughter, @cassidygiff is engaged to a wonderful man, Ben @letsgetwierda I am beyond the moon and stars. Thank you, LORD!” writes Gifford about her daughter’s happy news.

Gifford’s longtime Today co-host Hoda Kotb was among some of the commenters offering their congratulations to the couple, writing, “Cass!!! Over the moon!!!”

Here’s everything you need to know about Cassidy Gifford and Ben Wierda.

1. They’re Childhood Friends

Access Hollywood reports that just a few days earlier, Gifford stopped by their studios and dropped a few hints that her youngest child was probably going to have a ring on her finger soon, revealing that Cassidy and Ben have known each other since they were kids.

“Cassidy’s probably going to get pretty engaged pretty darn soon too, I got a feeling,” Gifford teased. “They’ve known each other since they were 11 and 14, so it’s good. It’s a happy time for us.”

What is especially nice about that is that Wierda will have met Gifford’s father, Frank. Frank Gifford passed away a little over four years ago, but at least his son-in-law had plenty of time to get to know his future father-in-law.

2. Ben is Betsy DeVos’ Nephew

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Ben is the son of Craig and Emilie Wierda of Holland, MI. He has three siblings, Christian “Chip”, Andrew, and Anna, who played tennis for the University of Michigan and Pepperdine University. His mom, Emilie, is the daughter of Edgar and Elsa Prince, of the Price automobile parts empire, based out of Holland, MI., which makes current U.S. Secretary of State Betsy DeVos Emilie’s sister and Ben’s aunt. Ben is also related to Erik Prince, the former Blackwater CEO, as he is a brother to Emilie and Betsy.

Emilie and her husband Craig Wierda own and operate two car dealerships in West Michigan and also work for the Down East Yachting company, which sells luxury motor yachts. Their son Chip also works for Down East Yachting. Coincidentally, the DeVos yacht, Seaquest, was in the news in July 2019 when it was set adrift from its marina in northern Ohio.

The Giffords and the Wierdas have been friends for years. Back in 2010, Kathie Lee talked with MLive, a Michigan newspaper, about how she and husband Frank had just headlined a fundraiser for senior wellness center Evergreen Commons in Holland, Mich. Gifford talked about spending time with the Wierdas and also supporting Wierdas’ nephew Rick DeVos’ ArtPrize, a social experiment to see if artists and the public can “engage each other in a new way.”

And in 2012, Dick and Betsy DeVos signed on as lead producers for Gifford’s Broadway musical “Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson.”

3. Ben Works for Clarion Technologies

According to his LinkedIn page, Wierda is a project manager for Clarion Technologies, Inc., which is a company that “designs, develops, and manufactures injection-molded products for the automotive, home appliance, and consumer products industries.”

Prior to that position, Wierda attended Pepperdine University from 2009 to 2013, during which time he bartended at the Alpen Rose Restaurant and was an assistant trainer at the Evert Tennis Academy. He also interned with the Segel Group Limited, which is where he ended up working after graduating with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in International Management.

The Segel Group Limited is a business and development company based out of Santa Monica, Calif. It strives to “partner with talented entrepreneurs and strong business leaders to build businesses from the ground up.” Wierda worked there for four years, first as an office manager and then business analyst/investment associate

4. Cassidy is an Up and Coming Actress

Gifford followed in her mom’s footsteps and went into the entertainment business, breaking into acting when she was just 12 years old with a small part on the Disney Channel show That’s So Raven.

Other TV credits include The Suite Life on Deck, Blue Bloods, Like Cats and Dogs, and The Baxters. But it’s her film work where she’s really starting to make a mark. Gifford starred in The Gallows, a found-footage horror film released in 2015 that was made on a $100,000 budget and grossed $43 million worldwide. The Chicago Sun-Times’ Richard Roeper said of The Gallows, “In a quick 80 minutes, we get the back story, we meet the four core characters (all of the young actors do fine work), get the wits scared out of us about a half-dozen times and wind up with a VERY creepy ending.”

When that film was released in theaters, Esquire put Gifford on their list of the 18 Hottest Women of Summer, writing that Kathie Lee’s daughter “is now a full-fledged Hollywood starlet headlining this horror/thriller about a small town’s gruesome mass murder and its aftermath 20 years later.”

Cassidy then appeared in Caged No More, where she played a young victim of human trafficking, and Time Trap, a sci-fi film directed by Ben Foster and Mark Dennis. Hammer to Nail’s Christopher LLewellyn Reed said that it “offers viewers an intriguing premise supported by a solid ensemble cast that frequently entertains.”

5. Cassidy and Ben Mark a Double Engagement for the Gifford Family This Year

Also on hand to celebrate Cassidy and Ben’s engagement was Cassidy’s older brother, Cody, and his new fiancee, Erika Brown, who posted a group shot to Instagram, writing, “Congratulations to the sweet couple, B and Lil’ C! God is so good! [Love] you both.”

And Kathie Lee commented on the post, “I still can’t sop smiling!! My kids ARE SO HAPPY!! Makes me one HAPPY MAMA.”

Cody and Erika actually announced their engagement back in May, after dating for six years. Brown wrote on Instagram at the time,, “Haven’t been able to breathe properly since. I am so overjoyed and overtaken with love, excitement and gratitude. I get to have this hunk as my permanent partner in life and I am very thankful to God and all of you for your love!”

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