Hoda Kotb’s Final ‘Today’ Show Celebrated With Laughs and Tears: ‘Thank You From the Bottom of My Very Full Heart’

Hoda Kotb officially said goodbye to the Today show with her final episode on Friday, January 10.

Kotb announced her departure in September 2024, citing wanting to spend more time with her two daughters. She’s expected to continue to contribute to the show, and NBC News overall, after her departure.

At the top of the 7 a.m. ET hour, a supercut of the morning’s news stories — including a tease of Kotb’s on-air celebration — left her and her co-anchor Savannah Guthrie near tears early in the broadcast. The two anchors were hand-in-hand after the intro, with Kotb saying, “One last time, let’s do this.”

Additionally, the crowd outside “Today” was filled with people holding signs saying goodbye to Kotb, including, “Thank you Hoda! We’ll miss you!” and “Blessed by Hoda!” Other NBC News personalities like Keith Morrison and Maria Shriver also paid tribute to Kotb early in the broadcast.

In the 8 a.m. ET hour, the “Today” anchors aired a special goodbye package to Kotb that began with Guthrie giving a pre-taped interview from the makeup room where the two co-anchors spent every morning today together before the show started.

“If I do this interview does that mean she won’t leave?” Guthrie asked. “She is like a sister to me. She is so special it is almost beyond description.”

Craig Melvin, who is taking over Hoda’s anchor chair following her departure, said the giant window behind the “Today” desk should be named the “Hoda Window” because of how loyal Kotb was to the fans who gathered outside of the studio every morning and how she constantly engaged with them.

Al Roker told viewers that with everything Kotb does, “she leads with her heart,” adding: “She’s probably one of the most selfless people I know. I was gravely ill. I never had any idea how sick I was. I was in the hospital and Hoda was there if not every day then almost every day. It got to the point where I think people actually thought she was a doctor.”

“Hoda, I love you. I love you deeply,” Guthrie said at the end of the package while fighting back tears. “Like I always tell you: Whether you sit next to me or not, whether we get up at 4 a.m. or not, I will always be by your side and you will always be by mine.”

The hosts then threw to some celebrities wishing Kotb an emotional goodbye, including Jamie Lee Curtis and Oprah Winfrey.

“I know what making this decision feels like,” Winfrey told Kotb. “I want to assure you that yes, you have made the right move, even though it was hard to do. Your children are going to benefit so much from this decision. Whatever you decide to do again in your next chapter, it will be the best decision for you and for your family.”

Before signing off, Kotb introduced the entire “Today” crew to the audience, shouting out executive producer Talia Parkinson-Jones as “the best hire NBC ever made.” She then brought her kids on stage and hugged them tight, ready for her next chapter.

Kotb joined NBC News in 1998 and hopped aboard “Today” as the first host of its fourth-hour segment in September 2007. The segment gained cultural ubiquity once she was joined by co-host Kathie Lee Gifford in April 2008. The duo’s breezy energy and love of wine was a winning formula for the show and lasted until Gifford’s departure in 2019. Gifford was replaced by Jenna Bush Hager, who has hosted alongside Kotb ever since.

via: Variety

?? Hoda Kotb em sua despedida do 'Today', passando o bastão: "Craig [Melvin], quero dizer que estou tão feliz por você. Você merece isso. […] E quando chegar a segunda, 7h da manhã, estarei morta de sono." pic.twitter.com/1K4vr0uMBC

— Danilo Assis (@eudanassis) January 10, 2025

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— kathie lee and hoda no context (@KLGH_nocontext) January 10, 2025

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