Gayle King surprises Hoda Kotb with a gift on her final day on ‘Today with Hoda and Jenna’. Photo:
TODAY with Hoda & Jenna
The stars are showing up for Hoda Kotb‘s final day on the Today show!
On Friday, Jan. 10, the final Today with Hoda and Jenna episode kicked off with what Jenna Bush Hager joked was a Hoda lookalike competition as Gayle King surprised Kotb — and brought a hilarious gift with her, too.
King, 70, and Kotb, 60, reflected on how frequently they are both mistaken for the other — to the extent that King said she was photographed coming into 30 Rock for the Hoda-bration by someone who assumed she was Kotb — which prompted the CBS Mornings anchor to present Kotb with a gift.
King gave Kotb a shirt with a photo of herself on the front, labeled “Hoda,” and a photo of King on the back, labeled “Not Hoda.”
“Everywhere I go, people stop me and say, ‘Hoda, good luck on your next chapter, we’re so happy for you, say hi to Jenna.’ Just today, coming in this building — I swear to God — somebody said, ‘Hey, can I take your picture?’ And he took it and I said, ‘Who do you think I am?’ And he said, ‘You’re Hoda,'” King said.
Kotb could relate. “It happens to me every time I’m in the airport,” she said. “And they go, ‘And we love your bestie!’ And I’m like, ‘They know my bestie?’ And they go, ‘Oprah!'”
Gayle King surprises Hoda Kotb on her last day hosting ‘Today with Hoda & Jenna’. TODAY with Hoda & Jenna
“It is such a compliment to me, Hoda, honestly, to be confused with you,” King said. “I’m so excited that she is doing this on her own terms.”
“I think it’s so great but what we also know is it’s not like you’re gonna be sitting at home doing bon bons,” she continued, teasing what’s next to come for Kotb. “So I just wanted to be here to cheer you on.”
“Yeah, Gayle, I got some good stuff,” Kotb told her with a wink.
Hager previously told PEOPLE of her partner of more than five years, “She’s the best partner. She’s been the most generous partner, and we are truly really great friends. The thought of her not being here is almost too much to bear.”
“Obviously, I’ve had months to wrap my head around it, although I cannot promise that our last ‘Hoda-bration’ won’t also be filled with tears,” she admitted. “I’m sure it will be just because I can’t help it.”
Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb’s final Today show. NBC
Looking ahead to the fate of the 10 a.m. hour, which will now be called Today with Jenna & Friends, Hager said she’s hoping to be as “generous” as Kotb is.
“Every joke that I say is funny because of Hoda. She tees me up. She knows how to light me up. She is so positive. She is so joyful. She says thank you and please, and all the things that I want in a friend. She’s kind and giving to every single person on our staff. And she knows that it’s important — the tone she sets,” she said.
“I think we have set it together, but to know that that’s on me is such a privilege and responsibility. I’ve learned from the best. And what big shoes to fill because her optimism is just beautiful.”
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Today airs weekdays on NBC beginning at 7 a.m. ET.
