Lester Holt Reveals What He’ll Miss Most About Kathie Lee Gifford After Her ‘Today’ Departure: ‘She’s a Part of Our Family’ (Exclusive)

This TV family is tight! Lester Holt, who anchors the weekday edition of NBC Nightly News, is going to miss Kathie Lee Gifford when she says goodbye on April 5 episode of Today after 11 years on the show.

Closer Weekly exclusively caught up with Lester — who also serves as the anchor for Dateline — at a non-televised dinner on March 29 ahead of the NAACP Image Awards. At the L.A. event, the famed journalist revealed what he will miss about Kathie Lee, a fellow NBC personality, after her departure.

“Oh, my goodness! Her genuineness and her authenticity,” Lester, 60, gushed. “This business has a lot of structure and sometimes things seem to be very produced, but she’s always been her own person. That’s one thing that makes her stand out — what you see is what you get. I think viewers can connect to that and they understand that honesty. It’s a rare thing in this business.”

Lester — who was at Kathie Lee’s epic farewell party last week — said she is headed off to a girls’ weekend after her final show and, obviously, he isn’t invited. That said, Lester did confirm that he considers Kathie Lee “part of our family” and praised the 65-year-old’s endless list of talents.

Kathie Lee first announced she was leaving Today this past December. Then, back in February, Jenna Bush Hager was announced as her replacement as the one who will sit alongside cohost Hoda Kotb. It’s rumored that Kathie Lee will be leaving the NYC area and moving to Nashville to pursue her other passions. For the record, Kathie Lee has said she is nothing but happy for Jenna taking over her seat.

“I have something to share with everybody,” Kathie Lee said in the original announcement. “It’s bittersweet as these things always are, but I have been here almost 11 years. Thought I would stay one year. Something happened along the way and fell in love with a beautiful Egyptian goddess and when it’s our 11th anniversary I will be leaving the Today show.”

Our best wishes go out to Kathie Lee as she embarks on the next chapter of her life.