Kotb made her ultimate log out as an anchor on the NBC information program Friday after 17 years with the community.

“I am not even capable of articulate it as a result of I am a large number a lot of the instances, however I simply wish to say thanks,” the 60-year-old journalist mentioned by means of tears after watching a video tribute to her profession. “Carson [Daly], you are like the key sauce on this present, man. With out you the present doesn’t hum. Like, you could have the factor and also you introduced it. You deliver it day by day.”

The mother of two continued, “Al, you’re my first buddy right here, the primary particular person I met,” she mentioned to Al Roker. “Once I acquired sick, you had been the primary individual that walked into the room and mentioned I used to be going to be okay.”

Persevering with to shout out her colleagues, Kotb then turned her consideration to Savannah Guthrie, who she referred to as “my particular person.”

“Who exhibits up for everyone? This lady,” Kotb mentioned. “When your brother died, it was this lady. Once I was going by means of stuff with Hope, it was this lady. She’s within the room. She’s all the time within the room and I really like you.”

Kotb closed issues out by hyping up Craig Melvin, who shall be changing her on the As we speak present desk.

“Craig, I imply, I am so pleased for you,” Kotb mentioned. “You earned this. You personal this. And are available Monday at 7:00 a.m., I’ll be useless asleep. However you are gonna be unbelievable. You are going to deliver it dwelling! Craig, you are gonna be so good. You and Savannah are going to be magic.”

Kotb’s co-anchors had a number of surprises instore for her throughout Friday’s present, together with a slew of celeb company who had been on-hand to ship her off.

Amongst them had been Maria Shriver and Simone Biles, the latter of whom referred to as Kotb her “Olympic mother” and mentioned she hoped to see the TV star in Los Angeles for the 2028 video games.

“Hopefully we’re in L.A. collectively, no matter meaning,” Biles mentioned. “No matter meaning for the each of us.”

Kotb replied, “Simone, nevertheless you find yourself in L.A. and no matter you do, I’ll be there too with you. I really like you.”

Kermit the Frog additionally confirmed up for Kotb’s final day, and sang “Rainbow Connection” for Kotb and her two daughters Haley, 8, and Hope, 5, who had been additionally onset.

Kotb revealed that she truly performed the tune when she “rolled in” to work on her ultimate day.

“Hoda, you really do make very day as stunning as a rainbow,” Kermit mentioned.

Her former co-host, Kathie Lee Gifford, additionally returned to say goodbye to Kotb, full with a giant glass of daytime wine and a few form phrases for her TV accomplice in crime.

“I fell in love with Hoda at lunch,” she mentioned about their first assembly and the way they spent a lot time on the restaurant that they had been kicked out.

Gifford mentioned she solely signed on to the present for a 12 months.

“My drawback is I fall in love, and I fell in love with Hoda,” she mentioned. “And I mentioned, ‘I do not wish to go away her.’ Each time I used to be with Hoda, the one factor I had in widespread with you and with Regis [Philbin] — two very, very totally different folks — I look ahead each single day to being with you each.”

“I’ve all the time mentioned she’s sunshine in a bottle, is not she, everyone?” Gifford added.

Calling her “fearless,” Gifford additionally detailed how Kotb proved that she was greater than a journalist after taking her place on the As we speak present stage.

“You proved to me that you are a fearless particular person,” she mentioned. “You’re, as a result of she did not do what she does now initially. She was world-renowned journalist, however she did not belief her performing instincts, and that wasn’t going to work with me.”

Gifford ended the emotional send-off with a toast to her former co-anchor.

“I believe I wish to ship her off with what she is aware of from my coronary heart means most to me is that I am sending you off with a prayer,” Gifford mentioned earlier than reciting a pair of prayers. “Might you stroll into probably the most joyful, affluent, purposeful time in your life.”

As for her Hoda & Jenna co-anchor, Jenna Bush Hager, she teared up all through the present whereas saying goodbye to Kotb, and even penned a heartfelt letter present wrote to her to ship her off.

“My dearest, you’re instructing us an important lesson of all — the right way to say goodbye with grace,” Bush Hager mentioned. “This is not simply any Hodini, driving off with my purse nonetheless in your automotive, you could have been capable of sit within the glow of the goodbye! Viewers have traveled miles, from different states to declare their love on poster board, each single visitor has gotten to share their Hoda story: how you could have made them really feel seen, and heard.”

She continued, “Thanks Hoda for all the things you could have taught me, all the things you’ve got given me: all of the hugs, all the guts all of the laughs, all of the love.”

Kotb’s final day wasn’t solely crammed with emotional goodbyes and shock company, her co-anchors additionally made certain to play one ultimate prank on her beloved colleague.

After getting back from break following the primary half hour of the present, Guthrie started studying a faux script.

“We’re again at 7:30 it’s Friday morning,” Guthrie mentioned. “And it is a day of blended feelings as we get able to say goodbye to an icon right here at 30 Rock.”

“Let’s face it, all world wide we’ll be counting right down to it,” Guthrie continued as she started to giggle and the cameras panned their approach over to the Rockefeller Heart Christmas tree that’s nonetheless lit up and standing behind the As we speak studio in New York Metropolis.

“Sure, our beloved Christmas tree is coming down tomorrow,” she added.

The prank turned what would have been tears into stomach laughs as Kotb, Guthrie and Melvin realized Guthrie wasn’t speaking about Kotb however the iconic Christmas tree so many individuals journey to see every vacation season.

“What? Did you assume we had been speaking about one thing else?” Guthrie joked as Kotb buried her face in her palms.

Guthrie and Melvin praised the management room for his or her mood-lightening joke.

“Good,” Melvin added. “They needed to have one final crack at you,” Guthrie mentioned to Kotb on behalf of these within the management room.

Elsewhere within the present, Kotb made her approach out to the As we speak Plaza, the place she bid her ultimate farewell to the present’s crew and producer.

“Can I simply say thanks actual fast?” Kotb mentioned. “Can I simply say thanks to each one who got here out right here? I learn your playing cards. I acquired your bracelets I acquired the scarves you crocheted. I learn the texts. I acquired all the things. So I simply wish to say from the underside of my coronary heart, thanks for popping out, for being right here and for all the things you probably did.”

Kotb introduced in September that she can be departing her function at As we speak after nearly twenty years.

“As I write this, my coronary heart is all around the map,” the journalist wrote in a letter to workers of the NBC morning present. “I do know I’m making the suitable determination, nevertheless it’s a painful one. And also you all are the explanation why. They are saying two issues will be proper on the identical time, and I’m feeling that so deeply proper now. I really like you and it is time for me to depart the present.”

Explaining her reasoning, Kotb added partly, “My broadcast profession has been past significant, a brand new decade of my life lies forward, and now my daughters and my mother want and deserve an even bigger slice of my time pie. I’ll miss you all desperately, however I am prepared and excited.”

Nonetheless, Kotb did share that she is going to stay a part of the NBC group in some capability, sharing lately that she plans do specials, a podcast and possibly some Olympics protection.

“It’s going to contain performing some specials, doing the podcast and doing possibly the Olympics, stuff like that,” she mentioned on the time. “It’s going to be like these sorts of issues. So it’s going to be specials and all these issues. And I believe each month or so, I am going to come again on the As we speak present and perform a little one thing on this house, which I believe shall be enjoyable.”