The Today Show’s Hoda Kotb turned to Instagram on Sunday, August 16, to pay tribute to her former co-star, Kathie Lee Gifford, on her birthday. Gifford turned 67 years old. Kotb also took the time to write a sweet, meaningful note.
Kotb shared a series of snapshots of her and Gifford together, some recent and some from years past. The pair had an incredible connection and became close friends while co-hosting the third hour of the Today Show for 11 years prior to Gifford’s retirement in 2019.
The pair sipped on wine, cracked jokes, and shared some emotional moments during that time. In nearly every snapshot included in the post, the duo were smiling, laughing, and clearly having a great time together.
In the first photo, Kotb rested a hand on Gifford’s knee while erupting in laughter. Other snapshots included them posing while on the set of their show. One beautiful image featured the pair embracing while on vacation together. The final photograph Kotb chose to include featured Gifford and her now-deceased husband, Frank, together.
In the caption, Kotb mentioned that she had just gotten off the phone with Gifford and that they had some laughs together. She expressed how much she missed her former co-star and concluded the post by reminding Gifford that her husband is up in heaven likely laughing alongside her.
The post earned over 15,000 likes in less than an hour after being shared online. She boasts a total of 1.7 million followers on the platform overall. Her fans took to the comments section to compliment her on the sweet snapshots and to express how much they miss being able to watch the two ladies working together.
“You two have that special kind of magic that only few friends ever have the opportunity to experience. Always love watching the two of you together,” commented one fan.
“Two lady friends including laughter was always so good for the rest of us to see through our morning TV,” a second person wrote.
“True friendship and such incredible kindness. The world needs more people like the two of you,” one more fan commented.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Jenna Bush Hager was chosen to take over for Gifford as Kotb’s co-host. This was an expected choice as Hager had already helped fill in on the show in the past if either of the two ladies were sick. Even though Gifford now lives in Tennessee, she and Kotb stay in contact and remain close.