Hoda Kotb Returns to theTodayShow Less Than 2 Months After Her Exit

Mar. 15, 2025

Hoda Kotb on the ‘Today’ show on Nov. 29, 2023.Photo:Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

Hoda Kotbcan’t stay away from her friends at theTodayshow.

On Friday, Feb. 28, Kotb made a surprise appearance on the3rd Hour of Today, greeting her co-anchor replacementCraig Melvinand meteorologistsAl RokerandDylan Dreyer, who were reporting live from New Orleans in honor of Mardi Gras.

“Before we go any further, I think we’ve got a very special person who knows this city well,” Roker teased before cutting to a video message from Kotb.

“Hey guys, wait a minute, are you in my city? Without me?” Kotb incredulously declared. “Okay, 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!”

Hoda Kotb appears on ‘3rd Hour of Today’ on Friday, Feb. 28.NBC

NBC

Dreyer noted that New Orleans is “Hoda’s city,” with Roker sharing, “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.”

Prior to her time on theTodayshow, Kotb worked as an anchor and reporter for local New Orleans CBS affiliate WWL. She frequently shows her support for the New Orleans Saints and in 2016 gave the commencement speech at the local Tulane University.

“It’s the closest to a hometown I’ve ever felt,” Kotb toldSouthern Livingof New Orleans in June 2024. “There’s a magnetism about New Orleans that grabs you right out the gate.”

In the wake of the terrorist attack on Bourbon Street on New Year’s Day,Kotb said on air, “New Orleans is my second home and my heart broke this morning.”

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Though she’s been mentioned countless times on theTodayshow sinceher Jan. 10 exit, this marks Kotb’s first real appearance on the show since she stepped down from her role after 14 years in order to spend more time with her daughtersHaley Joy, 9, andHope Catherine, 5.

She did, however, take the time to surprise pal and former co-anchorSavannah Guthrieat a New Jersey event for her new children’s book earlier this week.

Craig Melvin, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker pose on the Today Show Set on Aug. 5, 2024 in Paris, France.Kristy Sparow/Getty

Kristy Sparow/Getty

“I plan to remain a part of the NBC family, the longest work relationship I’ve been lucky enough to hold close to my heart,” she said at the time. “I’ll be around. How could I not? Family is family and you all will always be a part of mine.”

In addition to spending time with her daughters, Kotb has also teased an upcoming wellness project in the works.

“I kind of got hooked in the wellness space, like a couple of years ago. I started doing stuff that I thought seemed woo woo and weird, and then all of a sudden as I was doing it, I was like, ‘Wait, I feel calmer, I feel better,’ ”Kotb shared onThe Kelly Clarkson Showin January,saying she planned to launch a wellness app and company involving retreats and a podcast.

source: people.com