“Today” show co-host Hoda Kotb was celebrated Friday with an hour-long send-off, dubbed “Hoda-bration,” to mark her final episode as host of NBC’s flagship morning show.
Naturally, the network had a lot in store to say goodbye to the veteran host when her 17-year stint on “Today” ended.
Former Kotb third hour co-host Kathie Lee Gifford took the bait and surprised her colleague with an in-studio appearance after stating in a tribute video that she couldn't attend because she was busy with other obligations in Tennessee. “Tonight Show” star Jimmy Fallon appeared on “Hoda & Jenna” to present Kotb with a framed piece of carpet from Rockefeller Center's 30 elevators. And journalists Maria Shriver and Gayle King, the “CBS Mornings” host who is often confused with Kotb, stopped by to celebrate the outgoing host.
Her mother also stopped by the studio, as did Kotb's daughters, Hope and Haley. Their daughters were joined by Kermit the Frog, who sang “Rainbow Connection” for Kotb. And country singer Walker Hayes sang a soulful version of “Wednesdays,” which Kotb co-wrote, which closed the episode. After the entire “Today” show staff joined the stage, Kotb left in his minivan with his children.
The NBC star, 60, announced her departure in September, saying she was leaving to spend more time with her young children, whom she welcomed “late in life.” He joined “Today” in 2008 alongside Gifford to co-host the lively fourth hour. She and Savannah Guthrie stepped in as co-hosts of the flagship show in 2018 after Matt Lauer was fired for what the network called inappropriate sexual behavior. In the late aughts, and before her tenure at “Today,” she was a correspondent for “Dateline NBC” and NBC News.
The Emmy winner also co-hosted the show's fourth hour with Jenna Bush Hager, who will begin hosting that hour alone on Monday. Craig Melvin, who has been among the show's co-hosts, will now host the 7 a.m. hour beginning with Monday's broadcast.
Kotb confirmed Friday that she would remain at NBC despite leaving her position as host of “Today.” She told NBC News that she will contribute stories to “Today,” resume her “Making Space With Hoda Kotb” podcast and rejoin the morning show to cover the Olympics.
Guthrie, Hager, Melvin and fellow co-hosts Al Roker and Carson Daly were also among those on set for Friday's farewell, and tears fell in nearly every segment. A star-studded tribute video featured NBA star Dwyane Wade, Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis, “Wicked” star Kristin Chenoweth, gymnast Simone Biles and Oprah Winfrey wishing Kotb the best in his next chapter.
“Hoda is everyone's sister and she's like a sister to me… She's so special. It’s almost indescribable,” Guthrie said in a prerecorded interview. “She has had challenges. [such as battling breast cancer]and they made her stronger, they increased her empathy and made her 10,000 times stronger. People see in front of them someone who cares. She loves people. “She is the best people person.”
After the episode, Melvin took to Instagram to pay tribute to his former colleague again: “Hoda is the definition of compassion, love and has been the heartbeat of @todayshow. I am very grateful to have you as a colleague and close friend. Greetings to you. It's not goodbye. It's a see you later. I love you. Thank you.” On air, Kotb told her that it would be “fantastic” and that she had “earned this” job, but that she planned to miss her first episode hosting the 7 a.m. show because she would be “dead asleep.”
“This is not a farewell letter. “This is a love letter, a love letter to you,” Kotb said in her final “Hoda & Jenna” segment, reading a prerecorded message she had written for the broadcast.
“Actually, it's also a kind of thank you note. So how do I say it? How do I say thank you for more hugs and more love than one person deserves? she continued. “Sixteen years ago, I sat next to Kathie Lee and she changed my life. She chose me. And the truth is that I was afraid. I had never done anything like this before. I was a hard news person, a 'Dateline' person, and one day she called me 'Hoda Woman.' I ripped off that news corset. We poured ourselves a glass of wine. And that's how it started.”
“It went from 'Hoda Woman' to 'Hoda Mama' when Haley was born. I held Haley and you held me. You supported me, the cards, the comments, the letters. I read them all and then Hopey came too.”
Kotb said a “new era began” when she and Hager came together in 2019. Their career together included “six unforgettable years of uncontrollable laughter and pure friendship” during which she fell in love with Hager's tears and her “vulnerable, self-conscious self.” adorable”.
“Along the way you invited me into your lives, your triumphs, your special moments and your celebrations. Having a front row seat to all of this really helped shape who I am. Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your journey,” he continued as a video of memorable moments with viewers played.
“I have become who I am in this hour of this show and you are with me every step of the way. So, as I sit here today in my final moments, on this last day of this chapter of my career, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the journey of a lifetime. I love you.”
