Celebrity News
Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb’s Surprise ‘Today’ Cameo Leaves Sheinelle Jones Emotional
It was a full circle moment years in the making when Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb made a surprise appearance on Today, reuniting on screen to celebrate Sheinelle Jones as she stepped into her new role as cohost of Today with Jenna & Sheinelle.
The longtime Today favorites popped up during the premiere week of the segment and it instantly sent the studio into a frenzy. Gifford, 72, and Kotb, 61, arrived with a towering wine glass torch meant to represent the passing of the torch to the new hosts.
It was a big moment for Jones, 47, who has had an incredibly difficult year after losing her husband, Uche Ojeh, at the age of 45 to an aggressive brain cancer called glioblastoma in May.
“Can we just say how awesome you two look together? How amazing this day already is?” Kotb said to Jones and Jenna Bush Hager.
Kotb, who exited Today in January 2025 to focus on her family and upcoming wellness projects, and Gifford, who cohosted the show for more than a decade, praised the duo for continuing on in their footsteps.
“First of all, you invented the genre, you really did,” Jones told Gifford through tears before turning to Kotb.
“I would just sit under your head. I’m like, ‘Look, she has melanin too!” she gushed.
The group then toasted with rosé from Gifford’s wine brand and encouraged viewers at home to do the same.
