Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager both got emotional while celebrating Kotb’s final episode of “Today with Hoda and Jenna” on Friday.
“Last night I was like, ‘God, I hope Friday doesn’t get here,’ because I knew it was this particular Friday,” the beloved “Today” co-anchor said through tears.
Bush Hager surprised Kotb with a handful of guests –– including her former co-host, Kathie Lee Gifford, along with Gayle King and Jimmy Fallon –– while co-hosting together in front of a live studio audience.
Kotb’s family and her two daughters, Haley and Hope, also sat and watched their mom from the audience. Meanwhile, her mom, Sameha Kotb, was unable to make the taping but participated in a heartfelt video talking about how “proud” she is of her daughter.
Kotb, 60, and Bush Hager, 43, began hosting the fourth hour of “Today” in April 2019 after Gifford retired.
Kotb had a tear-filled morning, as she also got choked up during the first two morning hours while co-anchoring “Today” with Savannah Guthrie.
“Can I just say thank you? I haven’t been able to articulate it, because I’m a mess most times, but I just want to say thanks,” Kotb told Guthrie and the rest of the “Today” co-hosts in an emotional segment.
Guthrie, Craig Melvin, Al Roker and Carson Daly all shared their admiration for Kotb by saying kind words about her in an emotional video montage that played while Kotb cried.
The morning show further surprised Kotb with a video message from Oprah Winfrey and Jamie Lee Curtis, in-person surprise visits from Simone Biles and longtime friend Maria Shriver and a performance from Kermit the Frog.
Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, adorably sat on their mom’s lap while Kermit sang “Rainbow Connection.”
The former “Dateline” correspondent began working at “Today” in 2007 but has been with the NBC News team for 26 years.
Kotb stunned viewers in September when she announced that she was going to be leaving her posts to venture into the wellness space and to spend more time with her daughters.
However, Kotb assured fans that she’d be remaining in the NBC family and later told Page Six that she’ll be continuing to contribute to NBC interviews and the next two Olympics.
“I think it’ll be kind of a Snoop-ish role,” Kotb recently told us, referring to Snoop Dogg covering the past few Olympics in a light-hearted manner.
“I want to be a supporting character on a team that is already in place so that I’ll come in and just have a role there. And then I’m going to do my ‘Making Space’ podcast, which I enjoy and love so much,” Kotb explained.
“And for the ‘Today’ show, I think we talked about doing something every four to six weeks, just a little something.”
Kotb also teased that viewers may see her pop up on “Today with Jenna and Friends” every now and then, too.
Bush Hager will continue to co-host the fourth hour of the “Today” show but will “date” a number of celebrities and friends before finding a permanent replacement. Scarlett Johansson, Eva Longoria and Keke Palmer have already been announced as some of the “Friends.”
Meanwhile, Melvin will co-anchor the first two news hours of “Today” with Guthrie.
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