Hoda Kotb may have left her Today cohosting position but she’s still a friend of the show! The broadcaster made her return to the program during a surprise appearance on Friday, February 28, nearly two months after she left her cohosting job.
In the show’s third hour, a segment kicked off with Craig Melvin, Al Roker and Dylan Dreyer reporting in New Orleans where they discussed Mardi Gras.
“Before we go any further, I think we’ve got a very special person who knows this city well,” Al, 70, said as the screen then showed a video of Hoda, 60.
“Hey guys, wait a minute, are you in my city? Without me?” Hoda said in the video. “OK, Al, Craig, Dylan, you guys, I know what you’re going to do? Eat all the food, yes you will, listen to all the music, yes you will. Enjoy what I believe is the best city on earth. Y’all have so much without me, wah wah, happy Mardi Gras!”
Dylan, 43, told viewers at home that New Orleans is “Hoda’s city.”
“I will tell you, about 10 years ago I got to ride with Hoda on a float in the parade. It was like riding with the queen of England,” Al quipped.
In the past, Hoda opened up about why she has such a special connection to New Orleans. She became an anchor at WWL-TV in the early ‘90s, moving into 538 Governor Nicholls Street in the French Quarter after securing the job.
“It was the perfect corner of New Orleans — all the fun of the Quarter and the charm of a quiet neighborhood,” she told Southern Living in June 2024 of the area. “It was within walking distance of some of the world’s greatest coffeehouses, a stone’s throw from the Mississippi River, and so perfectly located that we’d hear live music out our window every now and then. There were no strangers. It was a real community.”
She was eager to share her love for the city with her daughters, Haley, 8, and Hope, 5.
“I want them to know New Orleans — to love the city and for this to be part of their lives because it’s such an important part of mine,” the mom of two explained to the outlet. “I want them to see what it’s like to be front and center at the parade.”
Her love for motherhood inspired her to leave Today, as she vowed to spend more time with her children and be able to take them to school each morning. Not seeing Hoda on the talk show each morning has certainly been an adjustment for longtime viewers, but she has no qualms about her decision.
“It was a huge pivot,” Hoda’s good friend, jewelry designer Jennifer Miller, told USA Today in an interview on Thursday, February 27. “She loved being a mother so much that she was like, ‘I want to do this all the time. This is so important to me.’ The decision she made to change her career really came from these two beautiful girls. It’s been amazing to watch.”
