Hoda Kotb Sobs While Saying Goodbye to ‘Today’ & Gets Pranked During Final Show
Hoda Kotb officially said goodbye to the Today show with her final episode on Friday, January 10. It was an emotional morning for the news anchor, who was joined by daughters Haley, 8, and Hope, 5, for part of the broadcast.
Earlier in the show, co-host Savannah Guthrie teamed up with the control room to have some fun with Kotb. “We’re back at 7:30. It’s Friday morning, and it’s a day of mixed emotions as we get ready to say goodbye to an icon here at 30 Rock,” Guthrie said during the first hour of the broadcast.
Of course, Kotb and viewers thought she was talking about the icon’s last day, as she continued, “Let’s face it. All around the world we’ll be counting down to it.” However, the cameras then panned to the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and Guthrie laughed as she added, “Yes, our beloved Christmas tree is coming down tomorrow.”
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Kotb cracked up after her co-anchor made the joke, prompting Guthrie to say, “What, did you think we were talking about something else?” Craig Melvin, who will be replacing Kotb beginning on the Monday, January 13, show, was also hysterically laughing. “Brilliant,” he said. “They have to have one last crack at you.”
Despite the group’s fun at Kotb’s expense, she still got emotional as she said her goodbyes to her fellow Today employees. “Can I just say thank you?” she told her colleagues and viewers while in tears. “I haven’t been able to articulate it, because I’m a mess most times, but I just want to say thanks.”
She also had specific messages for the other journalists on the set. “Carson [Daly], you’re like the secret sauce on the show, man,” Kotb gushed. “Without you, the show doesn’t hum. “Al [Roker], you’re my first friend here, the first person I met. When I got sick, you were the first person who walked into the room and said I was gonna be OK. Savannah, oh my God. You’re my person, you’re my person. You know who shows up for everybody? This girl.”
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Kotb continued, “Craig, I’m so happy for you. Youv’e earned this, you own this, and come Monday at 7 a.m., I am gonna be dead asleep. But you’re gonna be fantastic. You’re gonna bring it home. Craig, you’re gonna be so good. You and Savannah are gonna be magic.”
Guthrie had an equally emotional moment while addressing Kotb directly. “Hoda, I love you. I love you deeply,” she said. “And like I always tell you, whether you’re sitting next to me or not, whether we get up at 4 o’clock in the morning together or not, I will always be by your side and you will always be by mine.”
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Tributes also poured in from recognizable faces, including Oprah Winfrey, Simone Biles, Jamie Lee Curits, and more. In a video package, Winfrey said, “I know what making this decision feels like. I know how challenging it is to come to the moment where you say, ‘I have done it. I have done it. And now it’s time to move on to the next time.’ And I will tell you that in the future, you’re going to look back and you’re going to say, ‘Was that the right decision? Did I do the right thing?’ And I will assure you that, yes, you have made the right move., although it has been very hard to do, and I know that Haley and Hope are going to benefit so much from this decision.”
Biles gushed, “She is our Olympic mom. I have been coming to the Today show for years and sharing vulnerable stories and Hoda has given us such a platform to be open and raw. She’s created a safe space for us to tell our stories.”
During the fourth hour, Today With Hoda & Jenna, there were more emotions. Kotb’s loved ones were in the live audience, but her mom couldn’t make it to the show, so she sent in a video message that had her daughter in tears. “I’m proud of you and I’m sure you’re going to be doing great work later on and I love you so much,” Kotb’s mom said.
There had to be some moments for laughs, too, though. Co-host Jenna Bush Hager revealed that the network hosted a “Hoda look-alike” contest and brought the winner onstage. However, it turned out that the “winner” was fellow journalist Gayle King, which thrilled Kotb.
After a commercial break, Bush Hager broke down in tears as she read a letter she wrote to her friend and colleague. Other Today stars then joined the duo on the set to give Kotb another set of hugs, and Jimmy Fallon made a surprise appearance.
Kotb’s former fourth hour co-host, Kathie Lee Gifford, sent in a video message to show her love, then surprised Kotb with an in-person appearance. “I love you so much that I was thinking to myself, ‘I sure hope Kathie comes,'” Kotb admitted.
There was also a performance from Walker Hayes, who showed up to sing a song he co-wrote with Kotb.
In September, Kotb announced that she would be retiring from the Today show. She joined NBC News in 1998 and started working for the morning show in 2007. In 2018, she took over as co-anchor with Guthrie, while also hosting the show’s fourth hour.
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