Hoda Kotb gets tearful as she marks emotional Today Show milestone with Jenna Bush Hager watch
The Today stars are celebrating their fifth year as 4th Hour with Hoda & Jenna co-hosts
It is quite the poignant day over at Today Show studios for Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, and they're getting emotional.
The hosts officially celebrated their 5th anniversary since becoming co-stars on April 8.
Hoda first joined NBC as a correspondent for Dateline in 1998, and started hosting 4th Hour in 2007, before joining Savannah Guthrie as the first hour's co-anchor in 2018. Jenna joined the NBC family in 2009, and replaced Kathie Lee Gifford as Hoda's co-host in 2019.
In honor of the special anniversary, both stars looked back on their five years together, and got emotional as they reflected on their special bond.
As Hoda asked Jenna how it feels that it's been five years, she thoughtfully responded: "It feels like it was yesterday, and it feels so profound to get to sit next to somebody that exudes joy."
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She noted: "No matter what you have going on, you greet me with a smile every single day, and I know it's not always easy. In fact it's not easy at all. But we're here."
Both were quickly brought to tears, and Hoda added: "We're here, we're an us, which is big," before reflecting on how their relationship has evolved through the years.
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"Here's the thing about this. We started off as colleagues slash friends. We didn't really know each other. Over the five years, there have been… there's such a deep understanding of the other's soul and purpose."
She elaborated: "We have traveled down these roads together. A lot of times friendships don't grow – you talk about the old days – not ours."
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"Everyday it's something different, something new, something we're learning. You've led me down a path because of people who you knew in your life and people who are kind of healers who've helped heal me. And I mean, it's all meant to be. This is all meant to be."
"It feels like it's all meant to be," Jenna concurred, adding: "It also feels like we say 'we' for everything."
She ultimately joked: "Like, I'll tell mom friends, I'm like, 'We believe…' and they're like, 'You and Henry [Hager]?' I'm like, 'No, Hoda and me.'"
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