Hoda Kotb Gets At-Home Surprise After ‘Today’ Reunion With Savannah Guthrie
“Today” show alum Hoda Kotb was welcomed back to her Long Island, NY, home by a heartwarming birthday surprise organized by her two daughters, Haley and Hope, after she enjoyed an emotional reunion with her former co-host, Savannah Guthrie.
The 61-year-old, who owns a vacation property on the beach in Long Island, revealed a glimpse at her early birthday celebrations at the home, sharing an Instagram video of herself walking through the front door to be greeted with an impromptu party.
To her delight, her home had been transformed with rainbow-colored streamers hanging from the ceiling, while colorful balloons filled the space to mark the special occasion.
“Oh my god, what? Wow!” Kotb exclaimed as she walked through a curtain of multi-colored streamers and into the kitchen, where her daughters had laid out several party hats on the countertop.
Kotb appeared genuinely surprised by the thoughtful gesture, embracing her daughters in a big hug before stopping to greet the family’s dog, Waffles, who could be seen leaping into the air in order to get her owner’s attention.
The two girls had even made sure to play one of Kotb’s favorite songs, “Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest, prompting the former TV host to begin singing and dancing as she made her way through the main living space of the dwelling.
“It was my idea!” Hope, 7, yelled out, while jumping in the air.
“You guys, this is beautiful,” Kotb says, while hugging Haley, 9.
The camera then pans around the room to reveal the incredible collection of decor laid out around the room, including a “Happy Birthday Mom” banner taped up on the window, as well as rose gold balloons and dozens of framed photos of Kotb and her loved one, which were covering the mantle.
Kotb’s clip ended with several sweet photos of herself and her kids enjoying a birthday meal together.
“Wow! A couple of days early! Surprise!” the former TV personality—who turns 62 on Aug. 9—wrote in her caption.
The video was shared just a few hours after Kotb enjoyed a reunion with her former co-host, Guthrie, with the former sharing a sweet image of the two women posing on a large patio overlooking a pool.
Posing with their arms around one another, the former co-hosts are seen happily grinning at the camera, with Kotb writing in her caption: “My favorite place … next to you @savannahguthrie,” while adding a heart emoji.
While it’s unclear where the image was taken, it appears to have been snapped not far from Kotb’s Long Island residence—with the mother of two seen wearing the same bright red shirt she was sporting in her birthday surprise video.
Guthrie, who lives primarily in Brooklyn, NY, where she and her husband, Mike Feldman, own an $11.4 million townhouse, has been taking an extended break from the “Today” show while she films for a new “Wordle” game show.
“I’m headed over to shoot ‘Wordle’ over the next few weeks,” Guthrie revealed on July 16. “We’re going to shoot the whole season and we’re super excited. Cannot wait for everyone to see it.”
Meanwhile Kotb stepped down from the “Today” show officially in January 2025 in order to focus fully on her life with her children—having relocated from Manhattan to the New York City suburbs a few months prior.
The proud mom now splits her time between her primary residence—a $2.9 million home in Bronxville—and her Long Island beach house, which she has owned for several years and regularly visits, particularly during the summer months.
Kotb has returned to the “Today” show, however, in order to fill in for Guthrie when she took a leave of absence after her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, was abducted from her Arizona home in February.
Guthrie spent several weeks in the Tucson area with her family while the search for her mother continued, before returning to New York and the “Today” show in April—although she has continued to issue pleas to the public to come forward with any information that help authorities to locate Nancy.
While little progress has been made in her mother’s case, a neighbor of the 84-year-old told Fox News Digital this week that officials had returned to search the area surrounding the missing grandmother’s home.
While the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which has been leading the investigation, in collaboration with the FBI, insisted no task force had been dispatched to the property, a former lieutenant for the department told the outlet that there are several reasons why officials might have returned to the home.
“There’s a couple of different reasons that go through my mind first is going to be they got some leads, they got some new tips that are viable, and they’re out there looking for something specific or in an area specific to that, because I’m certain that they’ve searched those areas already,” Bob Krygier explained.
The retired lieutenant added that there had been several heavy rain showers in the area in recent weeks, which may have changed the landscape and uncovered new evidence.
His comments come just a few days after the FBI released two ransom notes sent in the wake of Nancy’s disappearance, the second of which claimed that the 84-year-old had died soon after she was taken.
Anyone with any information about Nancy Guthrie’s case should call 1-800-CALL-FBI, 520-351-4900, 88-CRIME, or visit https://tips.fbi.gov/.
The first note was addressed to “Dear Savannah” and sent on Feb. 1—the same day Nancy was taken from her Catalina Foothills home. It was written by someone claiming to have the NBC presenter’s mother in their custody and described the grandmother as “safe but scared.”
“She will be held for ransom and once payment is received she will be released unharmed,” the presumed kidnapper wrote. “We will be holding her for a maximum of 7 days.”
The author of the note then instructed the anchor to send $4 million in bitcoin before 5 p.m. on Feb. 5. If she delayed, the ransom amount would be increased to $6 million due on Feb. 9, it added. Upon receiving the payout, the abductors promised to release Nancy within 12 hours at a “safe drop off location” in Tucson.
“If payment is not received by the last deadline on Monday the 9th at 5PM, she will be killed,” the letter continued. “Your mother is aware of this and her life is in your hands. It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible.”
Savannah was then told that she would not be able to contact the person or people allegedly holding her mother captive, and that there would be no negotiations.
“Do not play games, law enforcement will not be able to help you,” the missive concluded.
The chilling second note, addressed to the “Guthrie family” and sent on Feb. 6, alleged that Nancy died not long after being taken from her home.
“We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition,” the document read. “We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention. She perished shortly after she was taken.
“We believe it was heart related. She is buried in nature now. Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome. We want your family to know this and hope you all can find peace. We are truly sorry.”
Guthrie has repeatedly pleaded for information concerning her mother’s whereabouts, including in a recent Instagram video in which she tearfully begged Nancy’s kidnappers to help the family “bring her home.”
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