Hoda Kotb had a tearful goodbye on her final day Friday Todaythe NBC morning news franchise.

“Can I just say thank you? I couldn’t articulate it because I’m a mess most of the time, but I just want to say thank you,” an emotional Kotb told her colleagues on air. Today As always, it began at 7 a.m. with Guthrie giving a somber summary of the news this morning, which revolved around wildfires in Los Angeles and the conviction of President-elect Donald Trump in a New York criminal case.

Then the “Hoda-Bration” began with Kotb, co-host Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, Carson Daly and Craig Melvin on the Studio 1A couch at Rockefeller Center before a farewell video package played.

“If I don’t do this interview, that means she’s not going,” Guthrie asked the camera at one point, then added, “Hoda. I love you. I love you deeply. As I always tell you, whether I sit next to me or not, whether we get up together at 4 a.m. or not, I will always be by your side. And you will always be with me.”

Weatherman Roker recalled his horrific health crisis in 2022 in his own tribute. “She is probably one of the most selfless people I know. I was seriously ill. I never had any idea how sick I was. I was in the hospital and I think Hoda was there, if not every day, almost every day… I think people thought she was actually a doctor.”

As the video ended, an emotional Kotb, holding a tearful Guthrie’s hand, acknowledged her on-air colleagues. “Savannah, oh my god. You are my person, my person. Do you know who is there for everyone? This girl. When your brother died, that girl. When I was with Hope, it was this girl. She’s in the room. She is always in the room. And I love you.”

She also showered Roker with praise: “You’re my first friend here, the first person I met. When I got sick, you were the first person to walk into the room and say I was going to be okay.”

And Kotb wished Melvin, who will succeed her as co-host alongside Guthrie, the best of luck. “I’m so happy for you. You deserve this. This is yours. And come Monday at 7 o’clock I’ll be sound asleep,” she added, causing Melvin and others on the set couch to burst into laughter.

Guthrie, who had put the tissue box on set to good use all morning, added on TV during one of the many opportunities to thank Kotb: “As we thought about how best to celebrate you, Hoda, and what you do to all of us meant, It was actually just one word – love… You are love. And we love you. Everything revolves around you. We are so inspired by you every day.”

Another enthusiastic fan was Oprah Winfrey, who appeared in her own video, “Hoda. Hoda. Hoda. Well, I know how it feels to make that decision. I assure you that you made the right move, even if it was difficult. I know Haley and Hope will benefit greatly from this decision. And whatever you choose to do again in your next chapter, your next adventure, it will be the best decision for you and your family.”

Kotb first announced her departure after 17 years with the NBC morning news franchise in September 2024. Kotb said she wanted to spend more time with her two children, Hope and Haley, who showed up on her mother’s last day as a mother Today Co-anchor in the 9 a.m. hour. “I had my children late in life and thought they deserved a bigger piece of the time I had,” she said at the time.

In the last hour Today Co-host Jenna Bush Hager read her own letter to Kotb as part of a video tribute: “And now, my love – teach us the most important lesson of all – how to say goodbye with grace. This isn’t just any Hodini… I’m driving off with my handbag still in your car – you were able to stay seated in the glow of farewell! “Viewers traveled miles from other states to show their love on posters. Every single guest was able to share their ‘Hoda story’ and how you made them feel seen and heard,” Bush Hager said in the letter.

Kotb, for her part, also had to read a farewell letter that she wrote as part of her own video tribute.

Below it follows in full:

This is not a farewell letter. This is a love letter, a love letter to you. Actually, it is also a kind of thank you letter. So how should I say it? How do I say thank you for more hugs and more love than one person deserves? Sixteen years ago I sat next to Kathie Lee and she changed my life. She chose me. And to be honest, I was scared. I had never done anything like that before. I was a hard news person, a date line person, and then one day she called me Hoda woman. I tore off the news corset. We stopped and poured ourselves a glass of wine. And so it began.

It went from Hoda wife to Hoda mom. When Haley was born, I held Haley and you held me. You supported me, the cards, the comments, the letters, I read them all, and then Hopi came too. A new era began with Jenna Bush Hager, six unforgettable years of uncontrollable laughter and pure friendship. Isn’t she so hilarious? I can barely say her name without laughing out loud. But that’s not the part I fell in love with. I fell in love with her tears, with her vulnerable, loving self, and as I tell her in my cards: You are all mine and we are all ours.

And along the way, you invited me into your life, your triumphs, your special moments and your celebrations. Having a front row seat to all of this has really helped make me who I am. Thank you for letting me be part of your journey. When I turned 60 you threw me a huge party. That day I reached the mountain peak so high that I knew at that moment that there was no greater peak. In this hour of this show, I have become who I am, and you are by my side every step of the way.

As I sit here today in my final moments, on this final day in this chapter of my career, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the ride of my life. I love you.