Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford Have a 'Great Day' Reuniting at a Football Game After Announcing “Today” Departure
Kotb was joined by her daughter Haley while Gifford was seen smiling alongside her son Cody, his wife Erika and their two kids
hodakotb/Instagram
(L-R) Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford are pictured posing with the former's daughter Haley.Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford are together once again!
On Sunday, Dec. 8, Kotb, 60, and Gifford, 71, had a heartwarming reunion with their loved ones at the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints at MetLife Stadium. In a series of photos shared on Instagram, Kotb and Gifford's families could be seen snuggling close as they posed for a picture inside their game day suite.
Kotb was joined by her daughter Haley while Gifford was seen smiling alongside her son Cody, his wife Erika Brown Gifford and their two kids.
"@nygiants and @saints great day @metlifestadium," she captioned the post.
The next day, Kotb opened up about the experience during Monday's episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna. Instead of booking it out of the stadium to avoid the rush as she usually does, the broadcaster told her co-host Jenna Bush Hager that she chose to stay for the entire game.
“The Saints were winning by three points. There was a kick at the end, and the Giants had an easy layup kick. They could have tied it [in] overtime,” she recalled. “And someone next to us said, ‘Hey, Haley. Which way are we gonna lean for the kick? Do we lean left or do we lean right?’ And she goes, ‘Right!’ So, our whole section leaned right and it was an easy kick, and I missed the kick.”
She laughed, adding, “I go, ‘Haley, we’re gonna sit in traffic.’ She goes, ‘I don’t care, Mom.’ We sat together, we kind of dozed off, we held hands and we rode home.”
Kotb and Gifford's reunion comes nearly three months after the former announced her decision to leave the morning show after 17 years on air. Shortly after, Gifford paid tribute to Kotb's legacy on Today with a touching statement shared on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“Bittersweet news as my dear friend @hodakotb steps away from the Today Show,” she wrote at the time, alongside photos of them hosting the fourth hour of Today.
Heidi Gutma via Getty
(L-R) Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford“Her warmth, laughter, and incredible spirit have brightened our mornings and touched countless hearts,” she continued. “Here’s to new adventures!”
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The pair hosted the fourth hour of Today from 2008 to 2018 and have stayed close over the years. In July, Kotb said on an episode of Busy Philipps's Busy This Week that working alongside Gifford for 11 years finally gave her a sense of career direction.
"It was always like I was putting a circle in a square,” she shared. “I could feel it. It just wasn't right, and when I sat with Kat that very first time, I felt like I was riding a wave. I go, 'Oh my God, this is what it feels like when you're doing something you're supposed to do.' "
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