Hoda Kotb on NBC’s “Today” at Rockefeller Plaza.
Debra L Rothenberg/WireImageWhen Hoda Kotb with a limited week Today called “Hoda-bration!” honoring the last day of the longtime host on Friday, Jan. 10, she stepped into the role in a familiar white Veronica Beard blazer that, sartorially speaking, felt like a full-circle moment that honored her storied career.
While Kotb, 60, has been part of the NBC News structure for nearly 30 years (she announced that she would be departing in September 2024), it’s hard to believe she’s faced nearly as many rejections. She was turned down 27 times for TV work before someone finally said yes, and she said the big break was all because of a jacket.
On her first day, an anchor got sick, so she filled in for the evening newscast. “The litmus test for who anchors the news in Greenville, Mississippi WXVT News Center 15 is who shows up to work in a blazer,” Kotb said in an interview with PR for everyone.
“I remember (Stan Sandronithe late news director) walks in and he’s like, “Okay, who’s got the blazer?” I go, “What?” — A jacket. Who has a jacket? I go, “What about a jacket? I have a jacket. Hanging on the hanger. “Oh well, you have to anchor the news because Anne (Martin) is sick,” she recalled. “I thought, ‘OK!’
She often looks back on that moment and says it only takes one person (and one blazer) to change your life, which made her elegant farewell suit feel all the more appropriate. A proud wardrobe repeater, Kotb has always kept her work uniform simple and streamlined.
“I’ve worn the same dress I don’t know how many times. I’m wearing everything again,” Kotb said in a 2020 interview Shine. “One lady tweeted me, ‘I’ve seen this dress 57 times,’ and she was right!”
Kotb continued, “Our staff even put up pictures of the number of times I wore the dress. I thought it was funny… There are people who are way cooler than me, who have way cooler fashion sense than I will ever have. It’s not my thing.
Her pragmatic sensibility was reflected by Savannah Guthrie in a video shared via YouTube on Friday, January 10. “She’s about what matters,” Guthrie, 53, said. She then jokingly held up Kotb’s “red carpet bag,” which was a zip-top bag with lip gloss, a compact, cash, and a banana for a snack. Guthrie ended on a more serious note: “I love you so much, whether you’re sitting next to me or not, whether we get up at 4 a.m. together or not, I’ll always be there for you.”
Indeed, Kotb took a similarly sentimental approach with her accessories: stacks of bracelets, rings and necklaces for her latest episode, which she said she holds near and dear to her heart.
She pointed out: “That top bracelet that says ‘With you’, a gift she got from Guthrie, before showing off a ring Guthrie gave her that says ‘Love.’
For her part, Guthrie chose a black dress for the farewell show, as she was in “mourning” on her beloved colleague’s last day. Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve — or blazer.
