Before her final Today broadcast, Hoda Kotb is sharing the gifts she’s received from fans, co-workers… and her co-anchor, Savannah Guthrie.
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“I love it — I’m taking it, I’m wearing it, I’m drinking it, I’m eating it, people are making cookies,” Kotb gushed to People yesterday about her week-long send-off. “I’m reading it. I mean, these cards, I can’t with the cards. The cards are my favorite part.”
Of course, Guthrie, Kotb’s long-time co-anchor, also bid her farewell with a thoughtful parting gift.
“Savannah just gave me a box, and it said, ‘Open me now’ and it had two pom poms in it,” Kotb told the outlet. “She said, ‘You’ve been cheering everyone on, so now I want you to take these pom poms for you.’”
However, that wasn’t the only thoughtful memento Guthrie gave Kotb.
“She put in a clock with a shattered face, and she said, ‘Charlie broke it,’ which is, you know, I don’t need an alarm clock anymore! And the last thing she gave me was this bracelet. She gave me this ring that says, ‘Love.’ And she gave me this bracelet that says, ‘With you.’”
Kotb also praised Guthrie for being thoughtful toward her friends and coworkers.
“Let me tell you something about her: she always shows up,” Kotb insisted about Guthrie. “She always shows up. That’s what she does the best. She shows up for people, for her friends. She shows up.”
Hoda Kotb ‘Trying to Slow it All Down’ with ‘Today’ Show Departure
After 17 years with NBC, Kotb admits that anticipating the end has been challenging. While she feels ready to embrace the next chapter, she cherishes the small moments, knowing they are experiences she won’t have again.
“I’m trying to slow it all down, that’s what I’m trying to do,” she explained to People. “On Monday, I used to wish for Wednesday, so I could wish for Friday, the weekend. And I was thinking about it, in all the weeks, this is the first week that I don’t want Friday to come just yet. Because that Friday is going to be a big marker. “
“So I was thinking to myself, slow down, slow everything down,” she added. “And nobody says, ‘I love you,’ like the Today show. Nobody.”
Hoda Kotb announced her departure from the NBC morning show in September, with Craig Melvin stepping in as co-anchor alongside Guthrie.
Kotb intends to dedicate more time to her daughters, Haley Joy, 7, and Hope Catherine, 5. She is also launching a wellness app and company that will feature retreats and a podcast, set to debut this spring.