The morning was already filled with tributes when “Today” host Savannah Guthrie looked at her old colleague, Hoda Kotb, and teased another surprise.
“Well, listen, we have one last guest this hour who wants to wish you the best of luck on your next adventure,” Mrs. Guthrie said.
Kermit the Frog jumped over the couch and began serenading Mrs. Kotb with “Rainbow Connection,” a song she apparently sings to her two young daughters every night.
“Oh my God,” Mrs. Kotb mouthed as she held her girls on the “Today” couch and wiped away tears.
During much of the 8 a.m. of NBC's “Today” on Friday, all the big stories on a very chaotic news day — the fires in Los Angeles, the conviction of President-elect Donald J. Trump in a New York court , the Supreme Court TikTok hearing – were put on pause.
Instead, the show turned into an extended celebration of Ms. Kotb, who hosted “Today” for the final time. In September, Ms. Kotb said in a surprise announcement that she would be leaving her job, one of the most prominent in television, after 17 years on the show. She said at the time that her recent 60th birthday prompted her to want more time with her children. NBC announced in November that “Today” star Craig Melvin would replace her.
Ms. Kotb's departure has allowed NBC to show off something that is sometimes elusive for the “Today” franchise: a peaceful transition of power.
Ms. Kotb's predecessor, Matt Lauer, never had a chance to say goodbye to viewers after he was abruptly fired from the network following accusations of sexual misconduct. When Ann Curry was forced out as co-host of “Today” in 2012, she all but told viewers she wouldn't leave voluntarily. “For all of you who saw me as a groundbreaker, I'm sorry I couldn't carry the ball to the finish line, but man, I tried,” she said in her final episode as co-host.
Mrs. Kotb, on the other hand, leaves while she is at the top. And the network she's called home for 26 years has made it clear it would like to give her a star-studded farewell.
Special guests – including Simone Biles, Kathie Lee Gifford, Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Jimmy Fallon and Jamie Lee Curtis – all paid tribute on Friday, capping off a week that “Today” billed as a “Hoda-bration!”
“I can't believe you came,” Ms. Kotb said, her voice breaking as she greeted and hugged the gymnast Ms. Biles in the studio.
“Of course,” Mrs. Biles replied. “You showed up and supported me.”
Ms. Kotb leaves an industry in the grip of significant turmoil. Salaries for news anchors have begun to drop sharply, and other veterans, including CNN's Chris Wallace and Fox News' Neil Cavuto, have also recently announced their departures.
Ms. Kotb leaves “Today” in very good shape. “Today” has beaten its rival, “Good Morning America,” in total viewers and all demographic ratings for 10 consecutive weeks. That's the show's longest winning streak in more than a decade. Ms. Kotb is also leaving her role as host of the show's popular 10 a.m. slot, along with Jenna Bush Hager.
On Friday at 8 a.m., Ms. Guthrie and other “Today” regulars said their farewells in a video package.
“Hoda, I love you, I love you very much,” said Mrs. Guthrie. “As I always tell you, whether you sit next to me or not, whether we get up together at four in the morning or not, I will always be by your side, and you will always be by mine.”
Ms. Kotb then looked tearfully at her colleagues again and paid tribute to each of them. She told Carson Daly that he was the “secret sauce” of the show. She told Al Roker that he was her first boyfriend on “Today.” To Mrs. Guthrie she said, “My God, you are my person, you are my person.”
And to her successor, Mr. Melvin, she told him he “deserved this,” before releasing laughter from the “Today” studio.
“Come Monday, at 7 in the morning,” she said, “I'll fall dead asleep.”
