Hoda Kotb.
Nathan Congleton/NBCHoda Kotb say goodbye to Today with a week full of fun and genuine festivities.
The stars of the NBC morning show kicked off Kotb’s “Hoda-bration” on Monday, Jan. 6, to mark her final week of episodes. “We will celebrate you, which will be easy. It will be very easy,” Jenna Bush Hager said to Today with Hoda and Jenna before joking that he couldn’t even “hold his emotions for a minute”.
Kotb announced in September 2024 that she is departure Today after nearly 30 years at NBC, citing her 60th birthday and the role of mother to daughters Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, as the main reasons for her decision.
“I had my children late in life and I thought they deserved a bigger piece of my time, the pie that I have. I feel like we only have a limited amount of time,” she explained on air at the time. “So, with all that said, it’s the hardest thing in the world.”
Nathan Congleton/NBC Hoda Kotb’s nearly 20 years on the Today show have been filled with many memorable moments. The television personality announced in September 2024 that she would be leaving the iconic morning show after 26 years at NBC, 16 years as co-anchor of Today and seven years as co-anchor of Savannah Guthrie. “I just turned (…)
Kotb’s week-long “Hoda-bration” will end with a special episode of Hoda and Jenna filmed in front of a live studio audience on Friday January 10th. “There’s going to be big surprises, a lot of surprises that Hoda won’t even know about,” Bush Hager, 43, teased in a December 2024 episode of the series.
After Friday’s episode, Bush Hager will continue to co-host the morning show’s fourth hour as Today with Jenna and friends. She will be joined by a number of rotating guest hosts until a permanent replacement is chosen. Craig Melvinin the meantime, I will assume the role of Kotb like Savannah Guthrieis a coach.
Before her official farewell, scroll down to see the biggest moments from Kotb’s finale Today episodes:
Sisterhood surprise
The marching band from Kotb’s alma mater, Virginia Tech, plays at 30 Rockefeller Plaza at the second hour on Monday Today. After Kotb shared a hug with the school’s mascot, the HokieBird, Guthrie surprised her colleague with 70 of her Tri Delta sisters.
“They called us two weeks ago and said, ‘Can you get some Tri Deltas?'” one of the sisters said. “(Everybody) came together, came from all over the country because we love you.”
A shocked Kotb hugged several members, including the woman who was her “little sister” in the group. “Guys, I was the promising coach for this women’s organization. It meant the absolute world to me,” she gushed. “I can’t believe you came. I’m shocked!”
Kotb continued to tell his sisters that they should go out after the show. “Everyone is in my house! Let’s go!” she exclaimed. “We have to go out today. We must. We make it happen.”
Hearty home decor
In Monday’s episode Hoda and JennaBush Hager gave Kotb a personalized gift from one of her favorite authors, Charlie McKeesywho wrote The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. Mackesy captioned a painting of the book’s titular characters with the message: “Hoda, every step you take is a victory. I love Charles.
Kotb got emotional when he accepted the gift. “First, I love him so much. His book changed the lives of so many people, including me,” she exclaimed. “Actually, I actually have a frame, just a sketch, in my office, just a sketch of his book. I can’t believe he did it.”
The news of Hoda Kotb’s departure from the Today show is bittersweet for her co-hosts. “I just turned 60 and it was such a monumental moment for me when I turned 60 because I started thinking about that decade, like what does that decade mean? What does it contain? What will there be for me?” Kotb, (…)
Bush Hager continued the fun by releasing a special video message sent by Mackesy, 62. “I’m in the rain in London to say I wish you all the luck in the world and all the blessings and I hope your next step is fun,” he said him in the clip. “You’ve given so much and you’re giving so much and I hope you love what you do next. And every step you take is a victory, and thank you for including me in your book journey. I am so grateful to you, I will always be so grateful. Thank you, Hoda.”
A lasting memory
During her interview on Monday Hoda and Jenna episode, actress and comedian Michel Bhutto recalled how Kotb showed his kindness in the early days of his career.
“You won’t remember this, but about 23 years ago I edited local news, WNBC at night. … And it was off the overnight (shift), you were coming (for) the morning and no one said hello to me. They just gave me a tape to edit,” she recalls. “Not only did you say hello, you looked me in the eye, through my soul, and said, ‘How’s your day?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t even know.’ And you say, “Got it.”
Fans and celebrity guests will miss seeing Hoda Kotb on Today. On Sept. 26, Kotb, 60, surprised viewers when she announced she would be leaving the show in early 2025. “I just turned 60 and it was such an important moment for me when I turned 60 because (…)
She continued: “And you won’t remember, but I did because I’m like, ‘Wow, this is what I want to be. That’s how I want to make people feel: seen.” No matter what they do, no matter what title they have, you look at somebody and say, ‘How are you?’ And you really mean it. So, this is how I run my show and my projects, and it’s the only way I make a living. So thank you very much.”
The story moved both Bhutto, 47, and Kotb to tears. “Why did I put eyelashes on?” joked Buteau.
An emotional meeting
On January 7, Guthrie reunited Kotb with the family of Erin Ludwigwho died of breast cancer in 2017. Ludwig was featured in one of Kotb’s stories, “Pink Power,” which focuses on breast cancer awareness. After first meeting Erin’s husband, Jasonand daughters, Savannah and Aubrey, in 2016. Kotb visited the family a second time shortly after Erin’s death and gave the young girls teddy bears.
Six years later, Kotb cried when Savannah and Aubrey showed up Today with Jason and brought nearly identical stuffed animals as gifts for Kotb’s daughters, Haley and Hope. The Today The cohost embraced both girls for long hugs while Jason presented her with a bouquet of lilies, Erin’s favorite flower.
“We wouldn’t miss this for the world. When we first got the call asking us to come back, I sat down with the girls and we talked and without a doubt we all decided we wanted to come back and be here for you, Hoda,” Jason gushed. “You have touched our lives in ways you have no idea, and we are only a small percentage of the people whose lives you have touched throughout your career.”
The interview ended on a sweet note when Aubrey presented both Kotb and Guthrie with friendship bracelets.
Families found
Kotb enjoys another reunion with former houseguests on the January 7 episode Hoda and Jenna. She has been profiled before Christina Wong and Dean Kahn about their adoption journey and, while having the couple on the show, broke the news that they were matched with a baby girl.
The couple introduced Kotb and Bush Hager to their daughter, Jacqueline Hoda and Jenna in honor of Kotb’s final week Today. “It’s been amazing,” Kahn said of the couple’s new life as parents. “I mean she was everything we hoped for and more. It’s just so surreal. You think that perfect is not possible and then it happens.
Kotb and Bush Hager surprised the couple with a gift basket filled with baby clothes, children’s books and Hoda & Jenna mugs. “And if he ever gets in trouble, it can all be sold on eBay,” Bush Hager joked.
Fan art favorites
When exiting Today Plaza to greet fans on January 8Kotb’s hosts surprised her by decorating the show’s barricades with posters brought by fans for Kotb over the past month. “We created this beautiful collage, Miss Hoda Kotb, because behind all these signs, someone who loves Hoda Kotb has hand-crafted them and then brought them across the country and they’ve been doing it for weeks now,” shared Melvin.
He went on to praise Kotb’s kindness to Today viewers, stating, “Hoda is always here. (She is) the first one out the door to say hello to the people here in the square. And through all the changing seasons, one thing has been constant – it’s Hoda Kotb.”
A tearful Kotb noted that the gesture meant “everything to her” and said she was surprised they were holding so many posters. “I was thinking the other day, I was like, ‘I wish I had some of these to keep and take home with me,'” she quipped.
Sweet and sour gift
During the latest installment of their “Can Hoda & Jenna Hack It?” segment, Kotb and Bush Hager tried one last lemon-related trick, putting the tip of a spray bottle into a lemon to easily get the juice. “I love a lemon hack,” Kotb said on the Jan. 8 episode of Hoda and Jenna.
Although the two were unable to recreate the social media hack, Bush Hager ended the segment on a high note by presenting Kotb with a lemon tree to plant in his new home. “That was super nice! My God!” Kotb exclaimed.
