Hoda Kotb Gives Jenna Bush Hager the 'Best Surprise' with UnexpectedTodayShow Visit: 'What Is Happening!?'

Mar. 15, 2025

Hoda Kotb surprises Jenna Bush Hager ahead of ‘Today with Jenna & Friends’.Photo:TODAY with Jenna & Friends/Instagram

TODAY with Jenna & Friends/Instagram

Hoda Kotbmay have stepped away from herTodayshow duties, but her friendship withJenna Bush Hagerremains stronger than ever.

The clip, shared on theInstagramandTikTokaccounts for the newly renamedToday with Jenna & Friends,begins with Kotb walking into a backstage makeup and dressing room before greeting a staff member.

“What is happening?! What is happening?! I FaceTimed you today,” Bush Hager could be heard saying as she got up from her chair.

After the two share a sweet hug, Kotb tells her, “I know. I had to come in for a second,” and proceeds to tellDwyane Wade,Bush Hager’s current guest co-host, “You’re crushing it! You’re so good.”

The clip ends with Kotb greeting everyone else in the room.

Hoda Kotb during an interview with host Seth Meyers.Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty

Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty

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“We had the best surprise in our briefing meeting this morning!!@hodakotbdropped in to show her love and support for@jennabhagerand@dwyanewade🫶#JennaandFriends,” the clip’s caption reads.

Kotb announced in September 2024that she would be departingtheTodayshow after 17 years. During her time on air, she served as the co-anchor ofTodayalongsideSavannah Guthrieand co-hosted the show’s fourth hour with Bush Hager.

Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager during the fourth hour of ‘Today’ on Tuesday, December 3, 2024.Nathan Congleton/NBC

Nathan Congleton/NBC

Craig Melvintook over Kotb’s seat alongside Guthrie, 53, on Monday, Jan. 13. For the fourth hour ofToday, the newly revampedToday with Jenna & Friendssees Bush Hager welcoming a slew of celebrity co-hosts, includingScarlett Johansson,Taraji P. Henson, Eva Longoria and Keke Palmer.

While a permanent co-host has yet to be announced, fans, including Kotb, are excited to know who it will be.

“I’m dying to find out who it’s going to be,” Kotb told PEOPLE at the inauguralRunway for Recoveryfashion show in NYC in February.

Hoda Kotb, Jenna Bush Hager and Savannah Guthrie.Hoda Kotb/Instagram

Hoda Kotb/Instagram

“I’ve been talking with Jenna about it. I keep saying, ‘Who’s going to be our friend forever?' " she added.

The former talk show host, whoretired to spend more time with her daughters,Haley Joy, 9, andHope Catherine, 5, said that her time away from the show has given her a better look at Bush Hager’s “mega talent.”

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“It was always clear to me, but it’s even clearer because now I’m watching her have blind dates every week with new co-hosts, and the common thread is how awesome she is,” said Kotb. “She’s incredible. So whoever she chooses is going to be great with her.”

source: people.com