“We have some good news to share. Hoda will be joining us next week, and she’s gonna share a really heartwarming story,” Savannah Guthrie announced on the Friday, September 5, episode of the NBC morning show.
Craig Melvin went on to share details about Kotb’s special project. “She’s gonna introduce us to a remarkable phys ed teacher from right here in New York, going the extra mile for his elementary school,” he told viewers. “In fact, Hoda is actually going to bring him with her, along with some of his students, for quite the unforgettable gym class just out on the Plaza.”
Guthrie went on to poke fun at how Kotb has made a handful of appearances on Today in the months since her January 10 exit from the show. “Should we all just make the joke we always make? Longest vacation ever,” she quipped. “It’s coming to an end. We’ll see Hoda next week. Looking forward [to it].”
Kotb has appeared on Today in video messages and packages, as well promoted her personal projects on the show. Her upcoming Today appearance will mark the first time she has returned for an assignment.
Back in January, Kotb told Page Six that she would continue to contribute to Today despite stepping down as a host. “I think it’ll be kind of a Snoop-ish role,” she said, referring to Snoop Dogg‘s memorable role as correspondent for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The outlet also reported that Kotb would continue to serve as an Olympics correspondent for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
Nathan Congleton/NBC
“I want to be a supporting character on a team that is already in place so that I’ll come in and just have a role there. And then I’m going to do my ‘Making Space’ podcast, which I enjoy and love so much,” Kotb shared at the time. “And for the Today show, I think we talked about doing something every four to six weeks, just a little something.”
Kotb made her first post-exit Today return in March, appearing in a video message to announce her upcoming book, Jump and Find Joy, which hits bookstores on Tuesday, September 23. “Everybody in their life, at one point, stands on the edge of something and says, ‘Should I jump? Should I try? Should I go for it?'” she said on the show’s March 10 episode. “And I felt that way about the Today show, and I was terrified to even think about jumping.”
Kotb continued, “Here’s my thing. You get one life. That’s all. That’s it. It’s ready for the taking. It only takes a jump.”
In May, Kotb returned to Today‘s Studio 1A for the first time since her departure to celebrate the launch of her wellness company, Joy 101. “You hit a button, and automatically curated for you is a special program,” she said of the brand’s app. “If you want prayer, it’s on the app. If you want meditation, it’s on the app. If you want help going to sleep, it’s all on there. And so, we’re also gonna have courses. We’re gonna do all kinds of cool things. We’re gonna have retreats. It’s the stuff that we love.”
Today, Weekdays, 7 a.m. ET, NBC
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