Hoda Kotb’s 2 Kids Haley and Hope Make a Surprise Appearance During Her Final ‘Today’ Episode

Hoda Kotb’s final Today episode included a few special guests, but none more special than her two daughters, Haley Joy and Hope Catherine.

Hoda, 60, and the girls were surprised by Kermit the Frog toward the end of 8 a.m. hour on Friday, January 10, as the friendly muppet sang his iconic song “Rainbow Connection.” The tune is one that Hoda sings to her daughters each night as she puts them to bed. Kermit also had some sweet words for Hoda, herself, and said that her smile was his favorite thing about the longtime host.

Along with Kermit, Hoda was surprised by Jamie Lee Curtis, Simone Biles and Oprah Winfrey. Jamie Lee, 66, gave the Today host a custom-made gift in honor of her time on the show.

“I did have something made for you by Moy Thompson, and it’s one of my orbs, and it says, ‘Every today with you is a better day’ and the dates of your time at Today,” the Halloween star explained. “So, from all of your fans, your friends, me included. Thank you for being such a shining example to all of us of what’s really important, and the reason that you’re stopping is the most important. God bless you and thank you!”

Hoda announced she would be leaving Today in September 2024 after 17 years on the popular morning show, and part of her decision to retire was because of Haley, 8, and Hope, 5. The mom of two revealed her decision in a heartfelt letter she penned to her coworkers.

“Obviously I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have,” Hoda said at the time. “I feel like we only have a finite amount of time. And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world.”

She also said that while her “heart was all over the map” and even though the decision was “a painful one,” it was one she was confident was “right.”

“They say two things can be right at the same time, and I’m feeling that so deeply right now. I love you and it’s time for me to leave the show,” Hoda explained.

The Oklahoma native continued, “I’ve been weighing this decision for quite a while – Am I truly ready? But, my sixtieth birthday celebration on the Plaza felt like a shift. Like a massive, joyful YES, you are! I saw it all so clearly: my broadcast career has been beyond meaningful, a new decade of my life lies ahead, and now my daughters and my mom need and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie. I will miss you all desperately, but I’m ready and excited.”

Hoda described her time at NBC as “the longest professional love affair of [her] life.”

“Looking back, the math is nuts. 26 years at NBC News – Ten years at Dateline, seven on the seven o’clock hour, 16 on the ten o’clock hour. I’m picturing your faces and your families and all the ways you’ve lifted me up and inspired me. That’s my heart singing,” she said in her emotional message.

Even though fans won’t be waking up with Hoda now, that doesn’t mean they won’t see any more of her. In October 2024, she announced her new project in the wellness space.

“I have something that I am super excited about that’s in its infancy,” Hoda told People during an interview published on October 11, 2024. “It’s a whole wellness situation, and I got lit up by that just from stuff I’ve been working on and doing on myself.”