The “Today” show co-host, unaware that the actor’s wife died in 2010, asked him about his marriage and later said she felt "so badly" for the mistake.

A rather charming Today show chat with Martin Short took an awkward turn Wednesday, when co-host Kathie Lee Gifford began asking question’s about the actor’s late wife.

Gifford, unaware that Short’s wife, Nancy Dolman, had died of ovarian cancer in 2010, turned to talk of his marriage after discussing his upcoming voice role in Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted.

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“You and Nancy have got one of the greatest marriages of anybody in show business,” Gifford said. “How many years for you guys?”

Short, not correcting the NBC co-host, responded they were married 36 years. Gifford went on to say that the couple were still “madly in love,” and cheekily asked “why?”

Short joked it was because he was “cute,” and then the interview moved on to new material.

After the commercial break, Gifford apologized for the previous segment, telling the audience she felt “so badly” for the mistake. Short apparently informed her of the mistake back stage.

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“My apologies to him and his family for not realizing that,” Gifford said.

Watch the video below. (The questions about Short’s wife begins at the 3:30 mark.)

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