Hoda Kotb’s time on the Today show is quickly coming to a close, and as she spent one more Christmas with her on-air family, she revealed the touching way she cheered on her successor.
Audiences now know that Craig Melvin is slated to take over Kotb’s co-anchor role once she departs from the morning show in January—but there was a period during which only a handful of people, including Kotb and Melvin, knew the plan.
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Kotb, Melvin, Savannah Guthrie, Carson Daly, and Al Roker (who was not present but participated nonetheless) exchanged Secret Santa gifts for the holidays. When it came time for Melvin to open his gift, Kotb said “I think you’re going to know quickly who it’s from.”
Melvin burst out laughing when he opened the gift bag, declaring that he “will treasure this forever” before showing off a New York Mets sherpa blanket from Kotb.
While Guthrie got the significance of the gift right away, Daly and the audience were left in the dark, prompting Kotb to explain why she chose to give him that specific present.
“The story is that when Craig got this job, before anyone knew, Savannah, Craig, and I knew,” explained Kotb, detailing the special code she came up with to reference his upcoming promotion.”
“Every time I think about it I’m going to say, ‘Let’s go Mets,'” she explained. “And so every time I looked at Craig and I said, ‘Let’s go Mets,’ he knew that I was cheering him on for this new job.”
Guthrie chimed in to say, “You know what’s really funny, Hoda? You didn’t tell me that, and I was like ‘Hoda is really into the Mets,’” to which Melvin responded that “they were making their playoff run!”
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Kotb also received a gift from her Secret Santa with a special meaning and teared up when she realized what it was and who it was from.
As she held up a paperweight with a handwritten note reading, “May you find a light to guide you home,” Kotb explained that it’s from “a beautiful song that Savannah gave to me every time I was going through something new.”
“And you know what I love about this the most?” asked Kotb. “That it’s your handwriting,” she said to Guthrie.
Next: Today Fans Are ‘Crying’ Over Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie’s “So Sweet” Friendship Moment Caught on Video
