Hota Kotb revealed the thoughtful gift her Today co-host Savannah Guthrie gave ahead of her final day on the show.
Ahead of her latest broadcast, the television personality, 60, opened up about the weeklong broadcast that her colleagues have dubbed a “Hoda-bration.”
She previously announced in September 2024 that she would be stepping down as co-anchor of the NBC show after three decades.
The journalist – who was overcome with emotion during an unexpected show reunion ahead of her departure – said she has been receiving thoughtful gifts from her fans and colleagues all week.
“I love it,” she said People on Thursday, adding that her co-host Guthrie had given her a particularly sentimental group of gifts.
“I take it, I wear it, I drink it, I eat it,” she said of all the gifts she appreciates. ‘People make cookies. I’m reading it. I mean, these cards, I can’t with the cards.’
Hota Kotb revealed the thoughtful gift her Today co-host Savannah Guthrie received prior to her final day on the show; pictured January 2019
She noted that the handwritten letters she has received are her “favorite part” so far.
As for the parting gift Guthrie gave her, she revealed that it was very witty and thoughtful.
“Savannah gave me a box and it said, ‘Open me now,’” she recalled. ‘And there were two pompoms in it.
She said, “You’ve been encouraging everyone, so now I want you to take these pom-poms from you.”
Kotb continued, “She put a clock in there with a shattered face and said, ‘Charlie broke it,’ which means I don’t need an alarm clock anymore!
“And the last thing she gave me was this bracelet,” she added. “She gave me this ring that said ‘Love.’ And she gave me this bracelet that said, ‘With you.’
Of Guthrie, her co-host for years, she said, “Let me tell you something about her – she always shows up.
“She always shows up. That’s what she does best. She stands up for people, for her friends. She shows up.”
Ahead of her latest broadcast, the television personality, 60, opened up about the weeklong broadcast that her colleagues have dubbed a “Hoda-bration.” She previously announced in September 2024 that she would be stepping down as co-anchor of the NBC show after three decades.
The journalist said she has received thoughtful gifts from her fans and colleagues all week. As for the parting gift Guthrie gave her, she revealed that they were a few sentimental gifts; pictured November 2018
“I love it,” she told People on Thursday, adding that her co-host Guthrie gave her a particularly sentimental group of gifts
She also told the outlet about the many different feelings she’s experiencing as she nears the end of her 17 years with the network.
“I’m trying to slow it all down, that’s what I’m trying to do,” she said. ‘On Monday I longed for Wednesday, then I could long for Friday, the weekend.
“And I thought about it, all these weeks, this is the first week that I still don’t want it to be Friday,” she added. “Because that Friday is going to be a big highlight.”
She continued, “So I thought to myself, “Slow down, slow everything down.”
“And no one says ‘I love you’ like the Today show,” she pointed out. ‘Nobody.’