Jessica Simpson’s Los Angeles home is back on the market amid the ongoing wildfires and her split from her estranged husband, Eric Johnson.
Simpson’s house is currently for sale at an asking price of $17.9 million — over $4 million less than her original $22 million price point, Us Weekly can confirm. Simpson purchased the property from Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne for $11.5 million in 2013 and later put it up for sale in September 2023. After initially taking it off the market in August 2024, Simpson relisted the home on Saturday, January 11.
According to Zillow, the home features seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms and sits on 2.25 acres in the “highly sought-after guard-gated community of Hidden Hills.” Built in 2001, the property also features a formal dining room, a spiral staircase, floor-to-ceiling windows, a state-of-the-art kitchen, a family room with “beamed vaulted ceilings” and a master bedroom with walk-in closets and a stone fireplace.
In addition to “a guest house complete with a kitchenette, and an intricately paneled study featuring a warm fireplace,” the home’s other amenities include a pool and spa, a “BBQ island” and an outdoor shower and bathroom
Simpson’s real estate listing was reactivated just days after Santa Ana winds caused wildfires to spread across the greater Los Angeles area, destroying homes, schools, businesses and forcing thousands to evacuate. The singer seemingly announced that she and her family fled from their home in a Thursday, January 9, Instagram Story. “We stayed as long as we could ,” she wrote alongside a since-expired snap of smoke approaching her house.
News of Simpson relisting her home also comes shortly after she and Johnson, 45, announced their split after 10 years of marriage. “Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage,” Simpson said in a statement to Us Weekly on Monday, January 13. “Our children come first, and we are focusing on what is best for them. We are grateful for all of the love and support that has been coming our way, and appreciate privacy right now as we work through this as a family.” (The pair share kids Maxwell, 12, Ace, 11, and Birdie, 5.)
The exes, who wed in 2014, sparked split rumors in November 2024 after Simpson teased via Instagram that her upcoming music comeback was “personal,” writing, “It’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve.”
That same month, a source exclusively confirmed to Us that Simpson and Johnson were “living separately,” while another added that they were “trying to figure out a separation without disrupting their kids’ lives as much as possible.”
Despite going their separate ways, a different source later told Us that the estranged spouses planned to spend the holidays together with their kids. “It’s all about the kids and family,” the insider explained in November 2024. “They don’t hate each other.”
Hoda Kotb is spending her first week away from Today exactly how she said she would: spending quality time with her kids.
Kotb, 60, shared adorable snaps of herself dropping her daughters Haley, 8, and Hope, 5, off at school via Instagram on Tuesday, January 14. “School drop!!! Let’s goooo!” she captioned the post, which included individual selfies with each of her girls.
Kotb continued to show love for her Today show family by staying warm in a Today With Hoda & Jenna beanie during the drop-off. Haley, meanwhile, wore a beanie with the word “joy” embroidered on it, while Hope’s winter hat featured her name.
Kotb’s upload also included a clip of her shouting “I love you” and toasting with her coffee thermos as her daughters headed into their school building. As Hope ran to catch up with her big sister, she could be heard yelling in the background, “Hopey, wait!”
Prior to sharing her school drop-off pics, Kotb started the morning on an encouraging note for fans. “Good morning! Happy tuesday — Sometimes just doing a little something … is enough xo,” she captioned another Instagram post.
Kotb gushed about getting to take her kids to school weeks before announcing her Today exit in September 2024. “We went for our first day of school, I carried a coffee and I had sneakers [on], and I walked my kids to school like normal people,” the TV personality, who moved to the suburbs last year, shared on an episode of Hoda & Jenna at the time. “It was awesome.”
Kotb cited wanting to spend more time with her kids, whom she shares with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman, as one of the main reasons behind her decision to leave Today. “I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking they deserve a bigger piece of my time, the pie that I have,” she explained on the NBC morning show while announcing her exit in September 2024. “I feel like we only have a finite amount of time. And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world.”
Haley and Hope joined their mother on-air during her final Today episode on Friday, January 10. On the show’s second hour, the family of three were surprised by Kermit the Frog, who performed one of their favorite songs, “Rainbow Connection.” Later on Hoda & Jenna, Haley and Hope sat alongside family members and friends in the episode’s live studio audience.
Kotb’s final week at Today was filled with emotional reunions, heartfelt gifts and touching tributes. Celebrities such as Simone Biles, Maria Shriver, Gayle King, Jimmy Fallon, former cohost Kathie Lee Gifford and Walker Hayes stopped by on Kotb’s last day to ring in her milestone career moment.
“I’ve become who I am on this hour of this show, and you were there with me every step of the way,” Kotb read from a letter she wrote to fans in a prerecorded video package on Friday’s Hoda & Jenna. “So, as I sit here today in my final moments on this final day in this chapter of my career, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my very full heart for the ride of a lifetime. I love you.”
In the final moments of Friday’s Hoda & Jenna episode, Kotb drove away from 30 Rockefeller Plaza with her kids in her minivan. Attached to the back of the car were cans and a sign which read “Just Repotted.”
On Monday, January 14, Kotb celebrated her successor, Craig Melvin, during his first day as Savannah Guthrie’s Today new coanchor by writing him a poem that he read on-air.
“Craig! I’m moving forward, so reach back your hand. Grab the baton, your world will expand. The adventures are endless … the people so dear. Great memories await, year after year,” she wrote. “Day One! You are surrounded by love. Your team is the kind you can only dream of. Savannah, Al and Carson are here! With partners like these, your runway is clear. From out on the plaza, to inside 30 Rock. Your fans are so eager, they’re watching the clock. The time has arrived to rise like the sun. I am cheering for you, and a fabulous run! XOXO, Hoda.”
For her first public engagement of 2025, Princess Kate Middleton returned to the hospital where she underwent cancer treatment.
The Princess of Wales, 43, paid a visit to the staff and patients of the Royal Marsden Hospital in London on Tuesday, January 14, during which she opened up about her own recovery journey. “You think treatment’s finished, crack on with that … daily tasks, but that’s still, like, a real challenge,” she said to staff members, per the Daily Mail. “And talking … the words totally disappear … understanding that as a patient, yes, there are side effects around treatment, but actually there are more long-term side effects.”
According to the outlet, Kate emphasized the power of “resilience” to one patient, stating: “It’s to keep coming back … to be as positive as you are. The treatments are really so different and so varied, it impacts families differently.”
Kate braved the winter weather in a brown plaid coat for her latest outing, which she wore on top of a simple and chic maroon long-sleeved dress. She completed the look with a matching maroon handbag.
Catherine, Princess of Wales talks with Katherine Field during a visit to The Royal Marsden Hospital on January 14, 2025 in London, England.
She was greeted by the hospital’s chief executive, Dame Cally Palmer, and chairman, Sir Douglas Flint. “I was just saying, coming in the front entrance here, having made so many quiet, private visits, actually it’s quite nice,” she said upon arrival, per Hello! magazine.
While speaking with more patients, one person reportedly told Kate that she’s “managed the children amazingly well” while dealing with her health issues, to which she replied, “Oh thanks … it’s just trying to do the best.” (Kate shares kids Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, with her husband, Prince William.)
Per Hello!, Kate also stated that cancer treatments “are really so different and varied, it impacts families differently.”
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace told multiple outlets on Tuesday that Kate “wanted to make the journey to both show her gratitude to the incredible team, but also highlight the world leading care and treatment [that] Marsden provides.”
Kate’s visit to the hospital comes amid news that she and William, 42, have become joint patrons of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. William, however, did not join his wife during her Tuesday visit.
“We were honored to welcome Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales to The Royal Marsden in Chelsea this morning, and are delighted that Her Royal Highness is now joining His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in becoming Joint Patrons of our specialist cancer center,” Palmer, 67, said in a Tuesday statement, per Hello! magazine.
She added: “We are incredibly fortunate to receive Royal Patronage – it is inspiring for staff and patients and enables us to shine a light on the outstanding work our staff deliver every day for patients and their families.”
One month after King Charles III announced his own cancer diagnosis, and following months of speculation, Kate revealed in March 2024 that she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for an unspecified form of cancer. “We hope that you’ll understand that as a family, we now need some time, space, and privacy while I complete my treatment,” she said in a video statement at the time. “My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy, and I look forward to being back when I’m able. But for now, I must focus on making a full recovery.”
In September 2024, Kate shared that she had completed her chemotherapy treatment but was still on a “long” road to recovery. “Everyone’s kindness, empathy and compassion has been truly humbling,” she said in a video featuring new footage of herself, and William with their kids. “To all those who are continuing their own cancer journey – I remain with you, side by side, hand in hand. Out of darkness, can come light, so let that light shine bright.”
Jessica Simpson announced she and her husband, Eric Johnson, have called it quits after 10 years of marriage.
“Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage,” Simpson told Us Weekly in a statement on Monday, January 13. “Our children come first, and we are focusing on what is best for them. We are grateful for all of the love and support that has been coming our way, and appreciate privacy right now as we work through this as a family.”
Simpson sparked split rumors in November 2024 while teasing new music. “Interviews in my Nashville music room where I unearthed my singular magic,” she wrote via Instagram. “This comeback is personal, it’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve .”
Though she did not specify the hardships she went through, fans were quick to theorize that her comments were about her relationship with Johnson. “Is this j simp saying she’s single?” one user commented on the post, while another fan added: “Yep, called this a while ago. We love you. Stay strong.”
Jessica’s sister, Ashlee Simpson, addressed the rumors while walking in Los Angeles with her husband, Evan Ross, that same day. When asked by TMZ whether it was “true” that Jessica and Johnson were calling it quits, she simply told the outlet: “No.”
Johnson added fuel to the fire when he was photographed walking around L.A. sans wedding ring later that month, per pics obtained by People.
Amid the drama, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that the now-exes were “living separately.” A second insider added that they were “trying to figure out a separation without disrupting their kids’ lives as much as possible.” (The duo share kids Maxwell, 12, Ace, 11, and Birdie, 5.)
A third source noted that Jessica was “heartbroken” by the situation, stating, “[It was] not an easy decision for her.”
Jessica was previously married to Nick Lachey from 2002 to 2006. She was first spotted with Johnson in 2010, the same year he split from his ex-wife, Keri D’Angelo. In November of that year, Us confirmed that Johnson popped the question to Jessica after six months of dating.
Prior to tying the knot in July 2014, the former couple became parents with the birth of Maxwell in May 2012, followed by Ace in June 2013. They completed their family of five with the birth of Birdie in March 2019.
Johnson last appeared on Jessica’s social media in April, as she posted several Instagram pics from the family’s spring break trip to Cabo San Lucas and their Easter celebrations.
“2024 Spring Breakin’ with the fam was EPIC!” she wrote alongside Instagram snaps of their tropical vacation on April 8. “Thank you @tinasimpsonofficial for giving these kiddos memorable moments in Cabo that they will hold close to their precious hearts and cherish for a lifetime!”
Lucy Liu has no regrets about standing up for herself to costar Bill Murray on the set of the 2000 action film Charlie’s Angels.
“I really didn’t think about it. I would have done that in any situation,” Liu, 56, shared in an interview with The Guardian published on Monday, January 13. “I think when I sense something is not right, I am going to protect myself. It’s an innate thing to do if you feel there’s injustice, and I always feel that way.”
“As we’re doing the scene, Bill starts to sort of hurl insults, and I won’t get into the specifics, but it kept going on and on. I was, like, ‘Wow, he seems like he’s looking straight at me,’” she alleged at the time. “I couldn’t believe that [the comments] could be towards me, because what do I have to do with anything majorly important at that time? I literally do the look around my shoulder thing, like, who is he talking to behind me? I say, ‘I’m so sorry. Are you talking to me?’ And clearly he was, because then it started to become a one-on-one communication.”
She went on to note that she had “nothing against Bill Murray” and had even run into him at a Saturday Night Live reunion event. “He came up to me and was perfectly nice,” she stated. “But I’m not going to sit there and be attacked.” (Us Weekly reached out to Murray’s reps for comment at the time.)
Liu’s comments came years after rumors swirled that the actress and Murray clashed on the Charlie’s Angels set. “Look, I will dismiss you completely if you are unprofessional and working with me,” Murray told the Times of London of the feud speculation in 2009.
In her Monday interview with The Guardian, Liu noted that she would have walked “a much easier road” in Hollywood if she didn’t speak up for herself.
“But because I’ve never been that person, we had to find a way,” she explained. “I think there has never been an easy road, for me and for us — and I say ‘us,’ because I really think it’s a group effort,” she added, referring to her fellow Asian American actors in the industry. “I would never take credit. My career has not been paved by myself.”
Liu reprised her role as Alex Munday in Charlie’s Angels’ 2003 sequel, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. Murray, meanwhile, did not return as the titular secret spies’ supervisor, John Bosley, but was replaced by Bernie Mac as the character’s adoptive brother, Jimmy Bosley.
Costar Drew Barrymorevocalized support for Liu following her 2021 comments against Murray. “What really happened was Bill was just in a — you know, comedians can be a little dark sometimes — and he just came in in a bad mood, and what you have to know is how much Lucy stood up for herself and that was the great thing that came out of an unfortunate circumstance,” Barrymore, 49, said on an October 2021 episode of her eponymous talk show. “She literally said, ‘I do not accept that kind of behavior from you.’ And we all supported her and backed her up and we moved forward.”
Noting that she was “proud” of Liu, Barrymore continued: “I respected [Lucy] then, I respect her now,” she said. “We dealt with it right then and there, we were strong and we moved forward and we didn’t accept anything less moving forward.”
Former actress Sister Clare Crockett is in the running to become a saint nearly nine years after her death.
The late Northern Ireland native was recognized as a candidate for sainthood during a ceremony held in Madrid, Spain, on Sunday, January 11, per the BBC. The ceremony, which was streamed by Crockett’s family and friends in her hometown of Londonderry, comes two months after Crockett was officially declared a Servant of God by the Catholic Church — one of the first steps in the sainthood process.
“Never in a million years did we think she was going to be a nun, never mind make her way to sainthood,” Crockett’s sister, Shauna Gill, told the BBC ahead of the ceremony. “A lot of people have asked us about grieving for Clare, but I don’t think we have ever grieved for Clare because she is talked about every day.”
Gill went on to joke: “Our Clare would have loved all of this attention and the drama about her. But Sr Clare would have liked to be in the background – I don’t think she would like all the limelight.”
Crockett died at age 33 during a 2016 earthquake in Ecuador, where she had been teaching music. Prior to becoming a nun, she acted in the 2002 TV movie Sunday, per IMDb, and turned down a presenting role on Nickelodeon.
In a testimony shared via her Sister Clare and Companions website, Crockett described herself as “a bit (or a lot) of a wild child” growing up. “I got my first job on Channel 4 in England when I was fifteen years old, then had a few small jobs as a television host, and when I was eighteen I had a small role in a film,” she wrote. “I loved theater, just as much acting as writing, reading and directing. My goal was Hollywood … seriously. Why couldn’t it be? Furthermore, my mom’s palm reader said that I would be (ahem, ahem).”
It was at the age of 16 that she “began to experience an emptiness inside me” after doing some television work. “’This whole thing of being a host isn’t for me,’ I thought, and I declined a job offer for a well-known channel, Nickelodeon,” she explained.
She officially became a nun at age 18 in 2001. “She took her first vows on February 18, 2006, taking the religious name of Sr. Clare Maria of the Trinity and the Heart of Mary. She took her perpetual vows on September 8, 2010,” her website bio reads.
On Sunday, Gill told the BBC that she and Crockett’s loved ones “are immensely proud of her, nervous to the unknown as nobody has ever experienced this in our lifetime,” adding, “The support we have is unbelievable.”
According to the outlet, being declared a Servant of God is one of the first steps toward becoming a saint — a lengthy process that can go on for multiple years after the person’s death. Additional steps before canonization include showing proof of “heroic virtue” and the verification of a miracle caused by prayers made to the individual.
Brazilian kite surfer Bruno Lobo is not only an Olympic athlete, but he’s also a real-life hero.
Lobo, 31, came to a drowning woman’s aid during a training session off the coast of São Luís, Brazil, on Friday, January 10. “The day God used me as an instrument to save this young woman, all honor and glory to Him,” Lobo wrote in a caption (translated from Portuguese) alongside footage he recorded of the incident via Instagram on Saturday, January 11. “Be warned about the dangers of the sea, rivers and any place you don’t know because the current in some places tends to be very strong!”
Lobo explained that he went into the ocean at around 5:40 p.m. local time “to do the last test” on a camera for his board. “It was a cloudy day, wind conditions were not the best, but I decided to test the support that had arrived, it was the first day using this material, I set the camera to record and went towards the coast,” he said.
He continued: “After sailing a few meters, I heard a cry for help and looked at the girl who was drowning. I quickly approached her with the kite, tried to calm her down and asked her to climb on my back. She was very tired and without strength.”
Lobo used his gear to help bring the woman back to shore, where lifeguards gave her assistance. “Thank God everything went well ,” he concluded. “I am grateful for all the messages. I only did what had to be done and what was within my reach!”
In Lobo’s footage, he quickly turned around upon noticing the woman in the water. He stepped off his kite surfing board and instructed her to hold onto his back as he navigated them to shore. Lifeguards met the pair in shallow water and helped the woman to the beach, where she thanked Lobo for the rescue with a hug.
The sports governing body World Sailing praised Lobo’s actions. “The woman met friends on the beach and walked away unharmed,” the organization wrote in a Monday, January 13, Instagram post. “Lobo, an orthopedic doctor, humbly shared: ‘I only did my duty and was in the right place at the right time.’ He also issued a vital reminder: ‘The sea is very dangerous, and the tide can pull you out.’ Great job Bruno .”
Just as Lobo made his Olympics debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics, so did the sport of kite surfing. The sport and other surfing events took place on the Tahitian island of Teahupo’o. Lobo did not land on the podium during the Games but placed seventh in the men’s kite surfing competition.
“I end[ed] my participation in the 7th position, I came to bring a medal to Brazil , but it didn’t happen this time, that’s what sport is like,” he captioned (originally in Portuguese) several Instagram pics from his Olympics journey in August 2024. “I feel like I gave my best in the water, I leave with my head held high and happy to have experienced all this and the trajectory so far! Strove hard to get to the best way possible.”
He added: “And as I always say, the journey is more important than the end! Thank you to everyone who made this possible, to my family and friends, supporters, sponsors and multidisciplinary team who lived all this with me.”
Hailee Steinfeld is already an acclaimed actress and singer, but now, she’s NFL royalty.
A new billboard in Buffalo, New York, congratulated Steinfeld, 28, and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on their recent engagement by declaring the pair the city’s king and queen. “The Queen City has a new queen,” the billboard read, according to an X photo shared by CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson on Sunday, January 12. “Congratulations, Josh and Hailee.”
The billboard featured illustrated photos of Steinfeld and Allen, 28, as queen and king playing cards. Steinfeld’s caricature sported a crown and flashed an engagement ring, while Allen’s playing card featured his jersey No. 17 and a helmet.
The billboard seemingly went up in celebration of the Bills’ playoff game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Steinfeld was in attendance at the game, which the Bills won with a score of 31-7. Backup quarterback Shane Buechele’s wife, Paige Buechele, reposted an Instagram Story video of the women watching the game with Tayler Bernard, the wife of Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard, and Hailee Watson.
Steinfeld and Allen announced their engagement in a joint Instagram post in November 2024. The post — captioned “ 11•22•24 ” — featured a snap of Allen’s proposal, which took place in front of a picturesque beach sunset, underneath a gorgeous floral archway and surrounded by candles.
Allen later admitted in a December 2024 edition of Steinfeld’s “Beau Society” newsletter that he was “very nervous” to pop the question. “It was hard to keep secrets from you and have other people in your life keep secrets from you,” he noted. “Then, multiple times throughout the day a song would come on and I would tear up thinking about how special our day was going to be.”
Sharing more details of their special moment, Allen added, “I said, ‘I couldn’t wait any longer.’ I said, ‘I can’t wait to start a family with you.’ I said your full name, and I asked you very nicely. I said please.”
Allen said Steinfeld was “extremely surprised” by the proposal, gushing, “It feels unbelievable to be engaged to someone who is so special and loving and caring and gorgeous and fun and happy.”
Steinfeld and Allen started dating shortly after the athlete split from his ex-girlfriend Brittany Williams in April 2023. “Hailee and Josh have been together for about a month and it’s going really great,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2023. “[They] laugh a ton when they’re together [and] are always smiling.”
The pair didn’t go Instagram official until July 2024 when Allen shared several snaps of himself and Steinfeld in an Instagram carousel, which he captioned, “Onward .”
One month before their engagement, the duo wore matching ringmaster costumes to host a Halloween bash for Allen’s Bills teammates and their significant others. “Welcome to Josh & Hailee’s Circus Showdown,” read a sign inside the venue featured in social media posts from the event.
Zendaya and Tom Holland were sure to discuss having children before their recent engagement.
“Tom really wants to have a family, and [he] and Zendaya are on the same page about having kids and wanting to start a family together,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly. The insight comes after Us confirmed on Monday, January 6, that the couple had gotten engaged.
Noting that “Tom is absolutely in love with her,” the insider said that Holland, 28, is “very focused on building a family and his career.” The source continued: “Tom is [a] very old-school English guy in the way that he wants to have a family and have kids relatively young.”
Both actors come from big broods, as Tom is the eldest of his parents Dominic and Nikki Holland’s four sons — including twins Harry and Sam, 25, and Paddy, 20. Zendaya, 28, is the only child of her divorced parents, Kazembe Ajamu Coleman and Claire Stoermer, but has five older siblings from her father’s previous relationship.
Tom opened up about his future fatherhood plans in an interview with Men’s Health earlier this month, revealing he plans to put a pause on acting once he becomes a dad. “When I have kids, you will not see me in movies anymore,” he shared. “Golf and dad. And I will just disappear off the face of the earth.”
News of the couple’s engagement broke one day after Zendaya flashed a diamond ring at the 2025 Golden Globes on Sunday, January 5. “Zendaya tried to keep it a secret but was very excited to show off her ring,” the same source exclusively told Us on Monday. “She didn’t think people would notice but didn’t care either way.”
According to the insider, Tom decided the holidays were “the best time to propose in a very low-key way,” as Zendaya “didn’t want anything over the top.” The source added: “Tom wanted to propose because he feels he is at the right time in his life and feels ready to settle down. They had many conversations over the years, but there was never any pressure. Zendaya is giddy and excited. She knew it might have been coming but never put pressure on it.”
Tom’s father, Dominic Holland, 57, confirmed the engagement news in a Friday, January 10, blog post via his Patreon account, revealing that Tom purchased Zendaya’s ring himself, had “everything planned out” and “had spoken with her father and gained permission to propose to his daughter.”
The Spider-Man costars first sparked romance rumors in 2017, though Zendaya went on to date her Euphoria costar Jacob Elordi from 2019 to 2020. She and Tom rekindled things not long after and their relationship status was confirmed after being spotted kissing in a car in July 2021.
“These two are the real deal,” a separate source exclusively told Us in July 2024. “They started as besties, and that’s [why] their relationship is rock solid … Their families are all in. [They] think they’re perfect together.”
Zendaya put her engagement ring on display while attending a screening of her film Challengers on Monday, using the dazzler to accessorize her black leather blazer and matching tulle skirt. She completed the look with a ponytail hairstyle and bangs as well as a pair of diamond stud earrings.
Kotb and Bush Hager joined NBC’s Today in 2007 and 2009, respectively, and went on to cohost the show’s fourth hour together following Kathie Lee Gifford’s 2019 exit. For over five years, the duo made fans laugh and cry while interviewing some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, trying internet hacks, playing games and opening up about their personal ups and downs.
During a October 2021 episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna, Bush Hager credited Kotb with helping her get her big break. “I was here for years doing a lot of different things, and I worked really hard. And I had producers say, ‘Well, you’re a correspondent. That’s where you are,’ and that was good. That was what I wanted to be. I wanted to tell stories,” she tearfully shared. “And you asked me to fill in with you, and I’ll never forget it.”
Bush Hager shed more tears after Kotb announced she was exiting Today after nearly 30 years at NBC in September 2024. “You’re who I come to when I’m feeling joyful, when I’m feeling unsure. You are who I come to. And you believed in me first,” she said at the time.
Kotb, for her part, said that her replacement was “going to have the easiest job in the world ‘cause they’re sitting next to you.”
Kotb bid farewell to the morning show in January 2025, after which Bush Hager continued to cohost the fourth hour, retitled Today With Jenna & Friends, with a lineup of celebrity guest hosts.
Scroll down to see some of Kotb and Bush Hager’s sweetest friendship moments from over the years:
Starting Their Journey
The pair kicked off their cohosting journey on an emotional note, as Kotb made Bush Hager tear up with special video messages from her family: dad and former President George W. Bush, mom Laura Bush and mother-in-law Margaret Hager.
“Is this what’s gonna happen? I’m just gonna cry all the time?” Bush Hager asked, unknowingly predicting many more tearful moments in the future. “That was so sweet.”
Support System
Bush Hager has stood by Kotb’s side through difficult times, including when Kotb announced she and her ex-fiancé Joel Schiffmanhad split in January 2022. “Watching you sit right here, strong, I can’t think of anybody stronger every day,” Bush Hager said on Hoda & Jenna at the time, praising Kotb for her bravery, courage and ability to “tell the truth.”
Kotb, for her part, comforted Bush Hager when she expressed guilt for not being there more for Kotb when her youngest daughter, Hope, experienced a health scare in early 2023. (Kotb shares daughters Haley and Hope with Schiffman.)
“When Hoda’s daughter wasn’t feeling well, I just wasn’t there for her the way I wanted to be,” Bush Hager explained on Hoda & Jenna in May 2023. “And I didn’t know how to be, and I felt terrible about it, but I didn’t know what to do. So, I just said it. I said, ‘I feel like I haven’t been there for you.’”
Kotb called her cohosts’ comments “one of the most beautiful statements” and said her words “meant everything to her” during her tough time.
Taking the Plunge
Among Kotb and Bush Hager’s many memorable TV moments is their January 2022 polar plunge. While watching the event on air, however, Bush Hager got angry with Kotb after seeing she did not fully submerge herself in the frigid water.
“Wait, what? You didn’t dive? You just put your head [in]?” she said as Kotb laughed. “No wonder you were out so [fast]. You didn’t dive? I thought you said we were gonna dive together.”
Making Music
Kotb and Bush Hager fulfilled their dreams of releasing a Christmas song together in November 2023 with the help of viral vocal coach Cheryl Porter. One month after debuting the festive track, titled “Carefree Christmas,” they took to the Today Plaza with Porter to perform it live.
“We learned, literally, to go from non-singers to below average singers,” Kotb quipped in a December 2023 video package before their live performance, noting that the song charted on the iTunes Top 10 chart.
Playing Matchmaker
Two years after Kotb and Schiffman’s split, Bush Hager revealed that she had set her pal up on a date by texting friends to find someone outside of Kotb’s usual social circle.
“I texted three people: my sister [Barbara Bush] who [was] in graduate school; One friend that had just moved to Connecticut, so I had a whole new different world; and another friend that had just moved out of the city too,” she said of a past matching making attempt on a March 2024 episode of Hoda & Jenna. “And guess what? One of the friends had somebody. So, ask outside of your zone.”
Bush Hager also had her sights on setting Kotb up with some of Today’s celebrity guests, including Lenny Kravitz. “I know someone else who meditates — and wears leather,” she said on air in September 2024, referring to how Kotb and Kravitz each wore leather earlier on the show that morning.
Career Milestones
Kotb and Bush Hager gushed about working together while celebrating their fifth anniversary as Hoda & Jenna cohosts in April 2024. “It feels like it was yesterday, and it feels so profound to get to sit next to somebody that exudes joy no matter what you have going on,” Bush Hager said on the show. “You greet me with a smile every single day, and I know it’s not always easy. In fact, it’s probably not easy at all. But you’re here and you sit next to me.”
Kotb, meanwhile, noted that he and Bush Hager grew to share a “deep understanding of the other’s soul and purpose” over their five years of hosting together. “Every day, it’s something different, something new, something we’re learning. You’ve led me down a path because of people who you know in your life and people who are, kind of, healers who’ve helped heal me. And, I mean, it’s all meant to be. This is all meant to be,” she added.
They rang in the milestone with several surprises, including lighting up the Empire State Building in the show’s signature pink and purple colors, getting a brand new theme song performed by Meghan Trainor and having New York City mayor Eric Adams declare April 8, 2024, as Today With Hoda & Jenna Day.
Hilarious Nicknames
On an April 2024 episode of Hoda & Jenna, Bush Hager surprised viewers when she revealed her nickname for Kotb is “Dad.” She explained at the time, “I call her Dad because she’s early to everything, always early, and she just reminds me of my father. I’m like, ‘Dad says we can’t drink too much, Talia [Parkinson-Jones],’ to our boss. ‘Dad says put the vodka down.’”
Bush Hager’s comments were followed up by a clip of the pair partying in New Orleans the night prior, after which she remarked to Kotb: “You weren’t Dad that night. Hoda took a shot. We went into a dive bar, and they were yelling ‘shots,’ and before I even knew it, Hoda was in there pounding something. And then we danced, we had the best [time].”
Birthday Surprises
Bush Hager caused Kotb to burst into tears with the meaningful present she gave her during their “Hoda’s 60th Birthday Bash” episode of Hoda & Jenna in August 2024. “I had my dad, who has started painting, paint your favorite photo of you holding your girls,” Bush Hager said as Kotb cried. Seeing her cohost’s strong reaction, Bush Hager shouted, “Oh no! It’s too much!”
Taking Trips
Kotb and Bush Hager took their show on the road multiple times in their years cohosting Today, visiting places such as Québec City, Canada, Bermuda and New Orleans, the latter of which was where Kotb lived while getting her start in local news. For their final trip in October 2024, they visited Austin, Texas, where Bush Hager went to high school and college.
During their visit down south, Bush Hager took Kotb on a tour of her old stomping grounds, including Austin High School, restaurants such as El Arroyo and Joann’s Fine Foods and Donn’s Depot piano bar and saloon.
Family Outings
Just as Kotb and Bush Hager grew close on air over the years, so have their families. In October 2024, the pair and Guthrie traveled with all of their kids to Miami to attend Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. “SWIFTIES!!!” Kotb captioned Instagram pics from the concert.
Halloween Hijinks
Despite several years of memorable Today Halloween costumes, Kotb and Bush Hager didn’t do their first joint costume until their last Halloween celebration in October 2024. Fitting with the year’s “VHS Rewind” theme, the duo dressed as the famous movie couple Jack and Rose from Titanic.
They even poked fun at Kotb’s Today departure while reenacting the film’s infamous door scene on Hoda & Jenna. “It’s been amazing, but I kind of feel like I’m outta here. I’m repotting. I’m gonna repot myself elsewhere,” Kotb joked as she pretended to sink into the sea.
Giving Signals
Though Bush Hager never got to cohost a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with Kotb, that latter began a tradition of doing a secret signal for Bush Hager during the broadcast. “Last year, Hoda and I came up with this secret symbol, which was Hoda brushing her teeth with a finger,” Bush Hager explained on a November 2024 episode of Hoda & Jenna.
For Kotb’s final parade hosting gig, the pair agreed that her signal to Bush Hager would be a dance move they created in the music in the music video for comedian Matt Rogers’ Christmas song “RockaFellaCenta.”
Bush captured the moment Kotb pulled out the dance move with Guthrie during that year’s parade via Instagram. “So thankful for my most hilarious and LOYAL @hodakotb who always comes through! With assist by my dearest @savannahguthrie!!!” she captioned the clip. “That was a (not so!) secret dance move!”
Saying Goodbye
Bush Hager expressed her sadness over Kotb’s Today departure several times before her final episode in January 2025. “When everybody’s like, ‘Oh, my God! Congratulations,’ it’s like, I feel like I’ve been dumped,” she joked on a December 2024 episode of her “Open Book with Jenna” podcast. “Not really, you know, ‘cause she’s choosing herself. I get that. But my heart is broken a little.”
During Kotb’s final Today episode, she passed her “Hoda’s Morning Boost” segment torch to Bush Hager during the show’s second hour. Later on Hoda & Jenna, Bush Hager thanked Kotb for “everything you have taught me” in a video package, stating, “I will miss you, my friend, but I love you and I’m so proud. Love always and forever, Jenna.”
In a letter of her own, Kotb said that a “new era started” when she began cohosting the show with Bush Hager. “Six unforgettable years, uncontrollable laughter and pure friendship,” she gushed. “I can hardly even say her name without laughing out loud, but that is not the part I fell in love with. I fell in love with her tears, her vulnerable, lovable self.”
Bush Hager squeezed in some final kind words for Kotb before she drove away from 30 Rock with her kids in her minivan. “You are loved. I can’t imagine this place without you, but I don’t have to ‘cause we already have a date on your calendar. Thank you all for believing in us, and Hoda, I love you,” she stated, after which Kotb gave a shout-out to Jenna & Friends, which was beginning the following week.
Several Today show hosts have come and gone from the NBC morning show over the years — both on good and bad terms.
Hoda Kotb, for her part, surprised fans in September 2024 with news that she would be leaving Today after nearly 30 years at NBC. “I just turned 60, and it was such a monumental moment for me when I turned 60 years old because I started thinking about that decade, like, what does that decade mean? What does it hold? What’s it gonna have for me?” she tearfully announced at the time. “And I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and to try something new.”
Kotb recalled how celebrating her 60th birthday on the show the month prior helped her realize it was time to step back from Today. “I remembered standing outside, looking at this beautiful bunch of people with all these gorgeous signs, and I thought, ‘This is what the top of the wave feels like for me,’ and I thought, ‘It can’t get better,’” she explained. “And [I] decided this is the right time for me to, kind of, move on.
Additionally, Kotb said wanting to spend more time with her daughters, Haley and Hope, whom she shares with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman, played a big role in her decision. “I was thinking they deserve a bigger piece of my time, the pie that I have. I feel like we only have a finite amount of time,” she stated. “And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world.”
Kotb officially bid farewell to Today on January 10, 2025.
Scroll down to see more of the Today show’s most dramatic host exits:
Deborah Norville
Norville replaced longtime host Jane Pauley on Today in 1990. After one year on the series, she exited the show while on maternity leave due to criticism and a decline in ratings.
“I was pushed out while on maternity leave, having just given birth to my first child. It was personally devastating to, in less than two years, go from ‘NBC’s fastest-rising star’ to a pariah in television. It was awful,” she recalled in a June 2012 column for The Hollywood Reporter. “But, just as an earthquake forces you to check the foundation of your home, having my career shatter forced me to reevaluate everything.”
She continued: “The depression I battled pushed me to investigate the power of the mind and led to my writing a number of books grounded in positive psychology, as I rebuilt my career first at ABC Radio, then CBS News and Inside Edition.”
Norville has served as the anchor of Inside Edition since 1995.
Katie Couric
Couric took over Norville’s hosting spot in 1991 and remained on Today through 2006. She recalled her decision to leave the show in her 2021 memoir, Going There, writing, “By 2005, I was at a crossroads. I loved the Today show, but after 15 years, I was getting restless. I longed to be respected for my journalistic chops, and although I’d done many serious interviews in the morning, the fun stuff, which I had a blast doing … [that] was what people remembered. I felt like the show was getting softer, the hard news interviews getting shorter, the segments getting more sensational.”
Couric went on to anchor CBS Evening News, becoming the first solo woman to anchor a nightly news broadcast. She left the role after five years, telling Today in October 2021 that she didn’t think “the country was ready for a female anchor.” She added: “Maybe they weren’t just ready for me as a female anchor because of their perceptions of me. But I really went there to say a woman can do this job with confidence and competence, and that’s really what motivated my decision.”
Ann Curry
Curry, who served as Matt Lauer’s coanchor for one year, unexpectedly announced on-air in 2012 that she was leaving the show. At the time, rumors spread that the network was not pleased with her lack of chemistry with Lauer, resulting in lower ratings.
“I still don’t really understand,” Curry told Elle of her Today exit in a September 2020 interview. “I know I did nothing wrong. I know I was good at my job. They say where there’s smoke, there’s fire. You can read the tea leaves. But you know, I’m a fact-based reporter, so it’s hard for me to go out there, with something so close to the vest. I don’t know. I don’t know.”
She continued: “The bottom line is that it still hurts. It honestly hurts really deeply, because I really think I did nothing wrong. But in spite of the pain of it, which still lingers, I know that I contributed to some people suffering less.”
Billy Bush
Us Weekly confirmed in October 2016 that Bush had been suspended from his role as a cohost of the third hour of Today after a video was leaked that showed him making lewd comments during a conversation with Donald Trump. He officially exited the series later that month after reaching a settlement with NBC.
“I am deeply grateful for the conversations I’ve had with my daughters, and for all of the support from family, friends and colleagues,” Bush told Us in a statement at the time. “I look forward to what lies ahead.” Bush has served as the host of Extra since 2019.
Tamron Hall
News broke in February 2017 that Hall would be leaving NBC News and MSNBC. The announcement came shortly after it revealed that Megyn Kelly would be taking over the third hour of Today, which Hall cohosted with Al Roker.
“Tamron is an exceptional journalist, we valued and enjoyed her work at Today and MSNBC and hoped that she would decide to stay. We are disappointed that she has chosen to leave, but we wish her all the best,” NBCUniversal said in a statement at the time.
A source exclusively told Us that the network wasn’t “fighting that hard” to keep Hall ahead of Kelly’s Today entrance, noting that Kelly was seen as “more valuable.” A second insider later told Us that Hall was blindsided by the switch-up and was only told “minutes before going on-air” that Kelly was taking over her and Roker’s time slot.
Hall moved on from Today with her eponymous talk show in 2019.
Matt Lauer
Savannah Guthrie and Kotb shocked Today viewers in November 2017 by announcing Lauer had been fired from NBC as a result of sexual misconduct allegations. At the time, Variety published a report accusing the longtime anchor of sexually harassing multiple women. The allegations included sending a woman a sex toy, dropping his pants in front of another and becoming angry with a woman for not engaging in sexual relations with him, among other claims.
Lauer broke his silence on the scandal shortly after his firing. “There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions. To the people I have hurt, I am truly sorry,” Guthrie read on-air in a statement on Lauer’s behalf.
His statement continued: “Repairing the damage will take a lot of time and soul-searching and I’m committed to beginning that effort. It is now my full-time job.”
Kotb was named as Lauer’s replacement in 2018. NBCUniversal released their findings from a monthslong investigation into Lauer’s actions that May, revealing that network executives did not receive any complaints about his behavior prior to November 2017 when a woman, later revealed as Brooke Nevils, filed a complaint against Lauer. Per the report, Lauer admitted to engaging in sexual activity with the woman one day later.
In Ronan Farrow’s 2019 book, Catch and Kill, Nevils accused Lauer of anally raping her in his hotel room during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Nevils claimed that she confided in former Today host Meredith Vieira about the incident and was encouraged to report it to human resources.
Lauer slammed the rape accusations in an October 2019 statement to Us, calling Nevils’ claims “categorically false” and stating that their encounter was consensual. “But within a year she was reportedly out trying to sell a book. And it appears that she also sought a monetary payment from NBC,” he added. “Now she is making outrageous and false accusations to help sell a different book and stepping into the spotlight to cause as much damage as she can.”
Hoda Kotb
During her September 2024 departure announcement, Kotb shared that she would remain on the show until early 2025 and would not be completely parting ways with NBC. “She’s the person that everybody loves,” an NBC insider exclusively told Us at the time. “She’s the same off-camera as she is on-camera, and I think that’s what’s the hardest thing because that can’t be said for everybody.”
Calling Kotb’s exit a “huge blow” for the series, the source noted that the TV personality was “very focused” on wellness for her next career steps.
“I am starting a wellness app and company that will involve retreats and a podcast and all kinds of things that we can get together, do things that I love,” she shared on a January 2025 episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show. “It’s not like going to Mexico with your girls, which is fun, but this is something that when you leave, you’ll go like, ‘Oh my gosh, I feel transformed. I feel different.’”
At the time, she noted that the app was still “in the building process” but was expected to launch in that spring.
Kotb rang in her final week of Today with a “Hoda-bration” full of surprise guests, emotional reunions and heartfelt tributes. “I’ve become who I am on this hour of this show, and you were there with me every step of the way,” she read from a “love letter” she wrote to fans on her final episode of Hoda & Jenna. “So, as I sit here today in my final moments on this final day in this chapter of my career, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my very full heart for the ride of a lifetime. I love you.”
Hoda Kotb’s tenure on the Today show was full of many memorable moments.
The TV personality announced in September 2024 that she would be departing the iconic morning show after 26 years on NBC, 16 years as a Today cohost and seven years as Savannah Guthrie’s co-anchor.
“I just turned 60, and it was such a monumental moment for me when I turned 60 years old because I started thinking about that decade, like, what does that decade mean? What does it hold? What’s it gonna have for me?” she shared on the show at the time. “And I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and to try something new.”
Kotb went on to explain that her daughters Haley and Hope, whom she shares with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman, played a large part in her decision to depart Today. “I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking they deserve a bigger piece of my time, the pie that I have,” she explained. “I feel like we only have a finite amount of time. And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world.”
Prior to her final episode in January 2025, Kotb revealed on The Kelly Clarkson Show that she was developing a “wellness app and company that will involve retreats and a podcast and all kinds of things that we can get together, do things that I love.” She added: “It’s not like going to Mexico with your girls, which is fun, but this is something that when you leave, you’ll go like, ‘Oh my gosh, I feel transformed. I feel different.’”
Scroll down to take a look back at some of Kotb’s biggest — and most tear-jerking — Today show moments:
Kotb cried while announcing she had adopted her eldest daughter, Haley, via a call-in on a February 2017 episode of Today. She broke the news by sharing a sweet photo of herself holding her then-newborn with her on-air cohosts.
“She is the love of my life,” Kotb happily told her colleagues over the phone. Her announcement prompted tearful reactions from Jenna Bush Hager and Kathie Lee Gifford.
“My mom who’s here with me … [she] goes, ‘Hello, miss Haley. We’ve waiting so long for you.’” Kotb stated.
While on maternity leave, Kotb celebrated her 9th anniversary cohostingToday’s fourth hour with Gifford in April 2017. “I want to say something to you, Kath, on our ninth anniversary, that my life has changed so profoundly since I met you. Profoundly,” she told Gidfford while calling into the show to commemorate the occasion. “I told you this before, but I cannot believe the path my life took after our lives intersected, so for every single day of the nine years, I love you.”
Kotb’s words made Gifford tear up. She quipped: “I think she said, ‘I love you.’ I hope that’s what she said.”
Kotb, for her part, also got dewey-eyed on air during her first episode back from maternity leave that same month. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy,” she said before grabbing a box of tissues.
Making History
Kotb took over as Guthrie’s Today coanchor in January 2018 after Matt Lauer was fired following sexual harassment allegations made against him. The promotion was a historic decision as she and Guthrie became the first female co-anchor duo in Today history.
“This has to be the most popular decision NBC News has ever made, and I am so thrilled,” Guthrie said during their first episode together. She added: “Hoda, you are a partner and a friend and a sister, and I am so happy to be doing this.”
Kotb replied: “Well, there’s no one I’d rather be sitting next to in 2018 than you.”
Similar to her first baby announcement, Kotb called into Today in April 2019 to reveal she adopted her daughter Hope. Just like the first time, Bush Hager burst into happy tears along with more of the Today crew.
“In your life, you think that maybe you’ve gotten what you deserve, but man, I’m so happy she’s here,” Kotb gushed, noting that Haley was “digging” being a big sister.
“Joel and I were standing there when they hand you the baby, and it’s the closest thing to a live birth, I think, you’ll ever see,” she added. “But in that moment, I was like, ‘Oh, my God! My heart just grew ten times. It’s amazing!’ Anyway, I just can’t believe it’s happening, y’all.”
Willie Geist followed up Kotb’s heartfelt words by joking, “I’ve been giving out Kleenex, but I think I’m gonna need a mop.”
Put a Ring on It
Kotb continued her trend of sharing major life moments on Today by announcing she and Schiffman were engaged during a November 2019 episode of the show. “A friend of mine, a friend of ours asked me to let you guys in on a secret,” she stated. “I’ll give you her initials. Her initials are Hoda Kotb and she’s engaged.”
The news came as a major shock to her cohosts, who cheered and jumped out of their seats and gave Kotb congratulatory hugs. “You’ve got two built-in flower girls,” Al Roker quipped, to which Bush Hager responded, “Who? Savannah and me?”
Getting Serious
During a March 2020 episode of Today, Kotb got choked up after Drew Brees announced he would be making a $5 million donation to help Louisiana COVID-19 efforts. The pair share a special connection to New Orleans, as Brees formerly played for the city’s NFL team the Saints and Kotb got her career started at one of the city’s local news stations.
“I’m sorry,” she said while attempting to fight back tears after the interview. Guthrie comforted her cohost by stating, “I know, it’s a lot. Hoda, I’m so sorry, hun. Take a moment.” Guthrie then offered to read Kotb’s tease for the episode’s next segment.
Bush Hager was by Kotb’s side as she revealed that she and Schiffman had ended their engagement during a January 2022 episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna. “We decided that we are better as friends and parents than we are as an engaged couple, so we decided we are going to start this new year on our new path as loving parents to our adorably delightful children and as friends,” she revealed at the time.
“They say sometimes, relationships are meant to be there for a reason, for a season or for a lifetime, and I feel like ours was meant to be there for a season,” she said, adding that she was “struggling” with how to announce the news.
Bush Hager supported her cohost by stating, “Watching you sit right here strong, I can’t think of anybody stronger.”
Kotb wrapped up the discussion by noting: “[Joel is] a great guy. He’s a very kind and loving person, and I feel privileged to have spent eight years with him.”
Hope’s Health Scare
Kotb was noticeably absent from several episodes of Today in early 2023 after her daughter Hope experienced a health scare. Upon returning to the show that March, Kotb revealed that Hope had been “in the ICU for a few days and in the hospital for a little more than a week.”
She added: “I’m so grateful she’s home. … I was waiting for that day to come. And we are watching her closely. I’m just so happy.”
Kotb got emotional while talking about going “through a divorce and breast cancer simultaneously” during an October 2023 episode of Hoda & Jenna. Kotb fought breast cancer in 2007, around the same time she and her ex-husband, Burzis Kanga, had called it quits. (The exes were married from 2005 to 2008.)
“I remembered in that time barely functioning, and I was thinking to myself, ‘Is this it? Is this how it goes?’” she shared at the time. “I was thinking about some of my lowest moments during that time what was contributing to all of it was I was in horrible health, and I didn’t care about that piece of it, and you don’t realize how bad it gets and then you’re compounding it, your health gets worse, because you’re not well, and [it] went on and on.”
Celebrating Partnerships
Kotb gushed about her friendship with Bush Hager while celebrating their 5th anniversary as Hoda & Jenna cohosts in April 2024. “We started off as colleagues/friends. We didn’t really know each other. Over the five years, there’s such a deep understanding of the other’s soul and purpose, we have traveled down these roads together,” she shared. “A lot of times, friendships don’t grow. They are: you talk about the old days. Not ours.”
She also thanked Bush Hager for leading her “down a path because of people who you know in your life and people who are, kind of, healers who’ve helped heal me. And, I mean, it’s all meant to be. This is all meant to be.”
Getting Sentimental
Hoda got choked up while reminiscing on her father, Abdel Kader Kotb, on what would have been his 91st birthday, particularly about how he would be as a grandfather today. “I was actually thinking about him with the girls,” she told Bush Hager on a May 2024 episode of Hoda & Jenna. Bush Hager finished Hoda’s thought by noting her father would be “so, so proud” of her and her daughters.
The Today cast and crew commemorated Hoda’s milestone birthday with a special dedicated to her, during which Guthrie surprised Kotb by bringing back the subjects of some of her most memorable human interest stories over the years. The guests greeted her with hugs and bouquets of flowers, causing her to cry.
She shed many more tears during her birthday episode of Hoda & Jenna after Bush Hager presented Hoda with a painting of her and her daughters created by former President George W. Bush. “It’s too much,” a speechless Hoda managed to get out while admitting the homemade gift.
Starting a New Chapter
“Hoda, we love you so much, and when you look around and you see these tears, they’re love. You are so loved. And honestly, I don’t think any of us can imagine — we don’t want to imagine this place without you,” Guthrie told Hoda after she announced her exit from the series in September 2024. “So, it’s complicated ‘cause we love you so much and we don’t want you to ever go. But also, I just want to say I am so proud of my friend.”
Guthrie went on to praise Hoda for having “guts” to “leave at the top of their game, to leave something that’s wonderful, that you love, where it’s easy and comfortable and beautiful and fun and say, ‘But I dream even bigger for myself.’”
Bush Hager kept the waterworks flowing later that day on Hoda & Jenna, telling her cohost: “You’re who I come to when I’m feeling joyful, when I’m feeling unsure. You are who I come to and you believed in me first. We have a lot of bosses and I love them, but this lady, on October 28, 2013 — I looked it up — said, ‘Hey, wanna come sit next to me? There’s room.’”
Kotb cheered Bush Hager up by telling her it’s “your turn” to shine, adding, “And whoever sits in this seat, whoever sits in this seat, is going to have the easiest job in the world ‘cause they’re sitting next to you.”
Time to Say Goodbye
Several of Kotb’s celebrity friends gathered together to celebrate Kotb’s final episode of Today in January 2025, including Gifford, Jimmy Fallon, Gayle King, Simone Biles and Maria Shriver. While Bush Hager shared her own heartfelt tribute to Kotb on their last Hoda & Jenna episode, Kotb read a “love letter” she wrote to the fans and those who have joined her on her Today journey.
“I’ve become who I am on this hour of this show, and you were there with me every step of the way,” she said in an emotional video package. “So, as I sit here today in my final moments on this final day in this chapter of my career, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my very full heart for the ride of a lifetime. I love you.”
Kotb’s daughters and dozens of Today cast and crew members stood by her side during her final send-off, during which she thanked Hoda & Jenna’s executive producer, Talia Parkinson-Jones. “You’ve loved me and Jenna since the very beginning, the day you started, and I just want to say thank you,” she gushed.
In her final moments on Today, a clip was shown of Kotb and her daughters riding away from 30 Rock in her minivan, which had cans and a “Just Repotted” sign attached to the back.
The hosts of the Today show have shared several glimpses into their family lives on the show and online over the years.
Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker and more of the NBC morning show stars have welcomed children over the years. Kotb, who left the series in January 2025, became a mother in February 2017 when she adopted her daughter Haley with then-partner Joel Schiffman.
“She’s a Valentine’s baby. She is the love of my life,” Kotb gushed on the show at the time. “I didn’t know my heart could feel like this. This is a moment in my life that I never thought would happen, and here it is, happening to me.”
The pair’s family continued to grow with the addition of their daughter Hope in April 2019. “She is laying on the pillow right now,” Kotb told her cohosts while calling in to the show. “I’m feeding her. I can’t believe it. Like, I’m sitting here and, you know, you think that maybe you have gotten what you deserve, but man, I’m so happy she is here.”
Kotb and Schiffman have continued to coparent their girls following their split in January 2022.
Keep scrolling to get to know the families of the Today show hosts:
Jamie Lee Curtis is lending a huge helping hand to all those affected by the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires.
“My family is donating $1 million today to the relief efforts,” the actress, 66, shared in a Thursday, January 9, Instagram post. “We are in contact with Governor [Gavin] Newsom, Mayor [Karen] Bass, and Senator [Adam] Schiff and I will post often about where you can send needed resources to reputable agencies.”
Curtis shared a similar message in the post’s caption, writing: “My husband and I and our children have pledged $1 million from our Family Foundation to start a fund of support for our great city and state and the great people who live and love there.” (Curtis shares daughters Annie, 34, and Ruby, 25, with her husband, Christopher Guest.)
Curtis’ donation comes one day after she got emotional discussing the wildfires during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “I’m literally just about to cry,” she said at the beginning of her Wednesday, January 8, interview.
“As you know, where I live is on fire right now. Literally, the entire city of the Pacific Palisades is burning,” she continued. “I flew here last night. I was on the plane, started getting texts and it’s f—ing gnarly, you guys. It’s just a catastrophe in Southern California. Obviously, there have been horrific fires in many places [but] this is literally where I live.”
Curtis noted that “everything” in her community has been destroyed, from the market where she shops to her kids’ schools to her friends’ homes. Having traveled to New York City for her Tonight Show appearance, Curtis revealed she would be traveling back to California the following day.
“If you know anybody on the West Coast or not — the American Red Cross, support them. They will come in and help people. Do anything you can, anything in your community to help people,” she told viewers on Wednesday. “Whether you need it or not now, you will need it. Give blood, donate, do whatever you can do, [help] animal shelters.”
As an ambassador for the American Red Cross, Curtis also encouraged people to have emergency kits prepared with items such as prescription medications and glasses, pet food, baby formula and more.
The wildfires began on Tuesday, January 7, and have spread rapidly across the L.A. area by Santa Ana wind gusts. Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate the region, with many losing their homes as a result of the fires, including celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal and Anna Faris.
Curtis informed fans that her own home was “possibly” on fire in a Wednesday Instagram post, but clarified that she and her family were safe. “It is a terrifying situation and I’m grateful to the firefighters and all of the good Samaritans who are helping people get out of the way of the blaze. Neighbors have taken care of neighbors,” she captioned a photo of a home engulfed in flames. “We ALL take everything for granted because we are all living our lives but when it hits your community, it’s particularly shocking. Life on life’s terms. If ever there was [a] need for the use of the phrase MY HAND IN YOURS, it is right now.”
Curtis has continued to share photos and videos of the wildfires’ devastating impact via social media, as well as well-wishes to people who have been impacted. “WE WILL HELP EACH OTHER!” she captioned a snap of flames erupting behind a Sunset Blvd. street sign on Thursday.
Kylie Kelce did not expect to be appearing alongside her husband, Jason Kelce, on his very own late-night talk show.
Kylie, 32, reacted to fan comments about her debut on They Call It Late Night With Jason Kelce on the Thursday, January 9, episode of her “Not Gonna Lie” podcast, one of which read, “Kylie always looks like she has no idea how she got roped into the next thing,’ like, ‘Damn it, I did not want to do this.’” The comment sparked Kylie to begin a new segment on her podcast dubbed “Places Kylie Has No Business Being.”
“Getting ‘roped into’ this is the perfect way to express how I ended up as the announcer for this,” she joked. “My husband asked me to participate, and being the supportive wife that I am, I said yes, hesitantly.”
She went on to note that she “did not know” that a “Kylie’s Korner” poster would be hanging from her commentary box. “I do appreciate that because you guys know how I love to hide in a corner,” she quipped. “Although it’s not really hiding when you have spotlights and a camera on you. So, I might need to discuss that with someone.”
They Call It Late Night premiered on ESPN on Saturday, January 3. During the episode, Kylie hilariously read a disclaimer to young viewers, warning them that “this evening’s program is intended for mature audiences. Young viewers, such as your children, may hear language that is inappropriate for them.”
Kylie and Jason, 37, wed in 2018 and share daughters Wyatt, 5, Ellie, 3, and Bennett, 22 months, and are currently expecting their fourth baby girl.
On Thursday’s podcast, another fan asked in a comment if Kylie was nervous to make her late-night debut, to which she said she was not. “I do find it [similar] to our wedding day when I was nervous about walking down the aisle because everyone’s eyes were going to be on me, and then the minute I could see Jason, I was like, ‘Oh, I’m fine. I can get down the aisle. I’ll just focus on him,’” she explained.
Kylie said she had a similar feeling watching her husband host the show. “He is the main focus, and all of that, and he’s crushing it, I didn’t need to get nervous,” she stated. “I had very few lines, luckily. Love that for me. And I also did PA in college for men’s lacrosse games, so I had a little bit of experience.”
While Kylie is keeping busy with her podcast and her They Call It Late Night gig, she recently clapped back at online trolls who stated they’re “tired” of her projects. “A while ago, I had talked to my producers, like, ‘Do we do a segment on algorithms and explain to people that if you engage with the content and if you write my name and s—, you’re just going to keep getting me on your timeline?’” she joked on the January 2 episode of “Not Gonna Lie.”
Kylie also reacted to another comment which asked, “Who the f— is Kylie Kelce?” She replied: “I can’t get over the fact that [someone] actually typed this into Twitter when you could have typed this into Google. Also, you typed my name, so you know what you’re going to get? More Kylie Kelce content.”
They Call It Late Night airs Saturdays on ESPN at 1 a.m. ET.
Blake Lively is back online after filing her lawsuit against It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni.
“To everyone affected by the Los Angeles fires,” Lively, 37, wrote via her Instagram Story on Thursday, January 9, alongside a link to the organization Mutual Aid LA Network’s list of resources for those impacted by the ongoing disaster in California. A follow-up post included a video about the resource list.
Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, also reshared posts about how to help amid the wildfires via his Instagram Story on Thursday and linked to Mutual Aid LA Network’s list, which is continuing to be updated.
The couple, who wed in 2012 and share four children, are among many celebrities who have shared their well-wishes and resources via social media. Lively and Reynolds, 48, did not reveal whether they were personally affected by the fires.
Other stars such as Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, Diane Warren, Anna Faris, Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal and Melissa Rivershave lost their homes. The fires began to spread on Tuesday, January 7, as a result of Santa Ana wind gusts, causing devastation and forcing thousands to evacuate the area.
Lively’s support for the fire victims marked her return to social media after filing a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni, 40, last month. In docs first obtained by The New York Times, she accused Baldoni of acting inappropriately on the set of It Ends With Us and alleged he attempted to launch a smear campaign against her to “destroy” her career.
In a December 2024 statement to Us, Lively noted, “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”
Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman denied the actress’ “outrageous” accusations in a statement of his own, instead alleging that she threatened not to show up on set or promote the film unless certain demands were met. (Lively officially filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, and Wayfarer Studios on December 31, 2024.)
Baldoni, meanwhile, filed a $250 million lawsuit against the Times, further accusing Lively of trying to ban him from an It Ends With Us premiere and kicking him out of the film’s editing process. A spokesperson for the outlet defended their “meticulously and responsibly reported” story in a statement to Us last month.
During a recent interview with NBC News, Freedman insisted that Baldoni never wanted to “hurt” Lively but confirmed that the actor “absolutely” plans to countersue and “release every single text” exchanged between the costars.
Lively’s attorneys denounced the “attacks” from Baldoni and his team in a statement to Us on Monday, January 6, alleging that they “engaged in unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against Ms. Lively for simply trying to protect herself and others on a film set. And their response to the lawsuit has been to launch more attacks against Ms. Lively since her filing.”
The statement that they “will continue to prosecute her claims in federal court, where the rule of law determines who prevails not hyperbole and threats.” Freedman issued a response one day later, calling out Lively’s “painfully ironic” accusations and reiterating, “We have all the receipts!”
For Mädchen Amick and her family, navigating her son Sly’s bipolar I disorder is a “continuing journey.”
“The longer the journey gets, it’s interesting [to see] your perspective and how it broadens out more and more, so those moments of challenge become easier to deal with because you can look at it in a bigger picture,” the actress, 54, exclusively shares in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “And so, even though there might be dips of challenge or some destabilization, you look at it over a longer period which has been 13 years now, and you can look at that little graph getting better and better.”
Amick previously opened up about her son’s bipolar I diagnosis in 2023, revealing Sly, now 32, was diagnosed in 2012 while in college. “Things have been going great!” she adds. “He had a bit of a challenge about three months ago when a medication was changed. … He caught it really fast, and they changed that medication immediately and they changed it back to one that was working before, but those little moments like that can be so destabilizing for the entire family, so you all have to be ready and aware and really communicate with each other.”
In addition to maintaining his sobriety, Sly now works as a “certified peer specialist” in California. “He is already becoming that big brother in that treatment center and really making a huge difference in young people’s lives that are going through what he went through but even at an earlier age,” Amick gushes. “He said it’s so meaningful for him because he feels like he’s looking at himself as a young kid. It really is quite a beautiful thing.”
Prior to his recent bout, Sly went through a “destabilization” experience back in 2021. When it comes to preventing him from destabilizing again, Amick tells Us that she, her husband, David Alexis, and daughter, Mina, 31, are always lending Sly a helping hand.
“He really trusts us as a family, so if we see signs that look like, ‘Oh, how [are] you feeling? We’re seeing some concerning signs,’ that he trusts us and listens instead of getting defensive and going, ‘No, no, no, I’m fine,’ because nobody wants to admit they’re sick, right?” she explains. “He really trusts us as a family to point it out sooner than later before he even can notice it himself. And also then beyond that, creating that recovery team for, so he’s really committed to that recovery.”
Amick also notes that her son “goes to AA meetings really consistently” and is “really committed to communicating with his psychiatric team as well as continuing to search for that good therapist that also helps him put tools in place so he can start checking in with mood regulation.”
After years of ups and downs navigating the mental health care system, Amick and her family formed the foundation Don’t MiND Me, which helps people going through similar experiences and provides scholarships to those who cannot afford the care they need.
“We just celebrated three years in May [2024] with the Don’t MiND Me foundation,” she tells Us. “It’s always been a goal to one day open a treatment center and apply all of our lived experience and a team around us that we’ve really gotten to know and really believe in, and they’ve got a wealth of knowledge and many, many years of experience.”
The organization will hold its 2025 Don’t MiND Me Gala on Saturday, March 8, at the Palm Springs Air Museum. This year’s event will honor Ashley Kolaya, the director of the Mental Health Storytelling Coalition, and Amick’s former Riverdale costar Molly Ringwald.
“[Molly has] been really open about her deep anxieties over these teenage years and becoming famous so quickly and how at times it was crippling and what she would do to find her way through,” Amick shares. “So, when this gala came up this year and thinking about people making a difference, especially between advocacy and people sharing their story, she came to mind. And I thought it would be really wonderful because she’s been so open to that over all these years. So, we were out in New York and visiting, I popped the question, and she said yes!”
Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole went through several relationship ups and downs before splitting for good in 2022.
The exes dated on and off for five years after Nicole kicked things off by sending him an Instagram DM in 2017. “He had been following me and insta-flirting for a few months,” she previously revealed via her Instagram Story in June 2022.
Despite Kelce “liking” several of her posts, he never sent her a DM, prompting Nicole to make the first move. “Soooo after a little liquid courage and a pep talk from @iqueenb (something along the lines of ‘WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR’) I dm’d him on New Years,” she added.
The two began dating five months after the Kansas City Chiefs player and his Catching Kelce dating show winner, Maya Benberry, called it quits.
Scroll down to look back at Kelce and Nicole’s relationship ups and downs:
2017
The former couple went public with their relationship five months after Kelce’s split from Benberry.
May 2017
Kelce and Nicole attended the wedding of his then-teammate Jeremy Maclin. At the time, Kelce called the fitness guru the “peanut butter to my JELLYTIME” in a since-deleted Instagram post.
July 2018
The pair hit back-to-back awards show red carpets in 2018. Kelce and Nicole ditched the blue tux and silver dress they wore to the 2018 ESPYs for fun, complementary striped outfits at the Kids’ Choice Sports Awards one night later.
Nicole donned a hot pink mini dress while attending The Maxim Big Game Experience at The Fairmont with Kelce, who sported a light blue button-up over a graphic tee.
June 2019
The duo showed off their couple style at the Thom Browne Menswear Spring Summer 2020 show at Paris Fashion Week. Nicole paired a white bodice top with mint green plaid pants. Kelce, for his part, accessorized his white button-down and gray plaid pants with a large gold watch, sunglasses and brown loafers.
February 2020
Kelce and Nicole took a break from football to sit courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.
August 2020
The exes broke up after three years of dating amid rumors of infidelity. “This is fake news … a lie … and not why Kayla and I broke up … take all your hatred somewhere else please,” he wrote in a since-deleted tweet, according to a screenshot captured by TMZ. Both proceeded to wipe each other from their respective social media accounts.
Kelce confirmed he and Nicole were back together during a live video with WNBA star Chiney Ogwumike. “So obviously we’ve got the fam. Mom, dad, brother Jason — big grizzly guy. Then my girlfriend Kayla,” he said in a joint TMZ interview with the Los Angeles Sparks player. “Kayla is definitely on the list. Always got to do it big for Kayla.”
February 2022
The pair attended the 11th Annual NFL Honors together and stepped out for a hockey double date with Patrick and Brittany Mahomes.
May 2022
Kelce and Nicole split for good less than two years after their reconciliation. Barstool Sports reported at the time the relationship ended because Kelce forced Nicole to pay for half of everything they did together. Nicole denied the outlet’s claims, calling them garbage and incorrect via X (formerly Twitter). In a since-deleted TikTok video, Nicole said she felt stupid for thinking their longtime romance would end in marriage.
That September, Nicole poked fun at the media attention she received because of the breakup in a hilarious TikTok post. “When I do literally anything at all on this here internet,” she captioned a video of herself using a video filter to look like she was being chased by police.
Kelce addressed the “crazy” rumors that he and Nicole broke up because he was “too cheap” during an interview on “The Pivot Podcast.” He explained: “Don’t buy into that s—t. I would never say that I was supporting [her]. She had a very financially stable life and what she was doing in her career.”
Kelce noted that they each lent each other money once in a while to pay for things such as food. “I mean, we were in a relationship for five years,” he added. “A hundred dollars here and a hundred dollars there wasn’t even thought about.”
“Dear Black girl, they may call you a traitor for falling in love. You’ll hope the ones closest will protect you, but you will quickly find out that people don’t protect what they don’t value,” she said into the camera. “They’ll say you’re too much, too provocative, too boisterous, too outspoken. And in the same breath tell you you’re not enough. Not successful enough, not wholesome enough, maybe not even intelligent enough. They’ll say you deserve the backlash and embarrassment. Because of your blackness, you should have known better. They’ll even try to tie your value to your net worth.”
Nicole continued: “You don’t have to participate in this tumultuous, often one-sided journey. Preserve your heart even when they try to quantify your character and best your boundaries you do not have to engage. You do not have to respond. because there is power in your silence. and you can use that same power to silence the noise and the self-doubt.”
Nicole revealed to People that her mental and physical health suffered after going through a “major breakup and major life change” in 2022, the same year as her and Kelce’s split. Following the breakup, she decided to begin therapy to help improve her mental and physical wellbeing.
“Had I not [gone to therapy], I don’t know how I would be reacting in the moment right now,” she added, seemingly referring to Kelce and Swift’s romance. Nicole noted she wished she could tell her past self to “buckle the f—k up” for 2023, stating, “You thought the worst had already come, but buckle up and take all of the tools right now and put them in your bag because you’re going to need them.”
November 2024
Nicole joined the cast of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test season 3 and briefly mentioned Kelce in a teaser.
“Going through a public breakup, it’s been overwhelming,” she admitted.
The clip then cut to Nicole talking with her costars, who asked the name of her ex. “Travis Kelce,” she whispered.
Special Forces season 3 premiered on January 8, 2025.
As wildfires continue to spread across the Los Angeles area, several celebrities are taking to social media to share how they have been affected.
“Evacuated and safe with kids, dog and cats. Praying and grateful for the first responders,” Mandy Moore wrote in a Wednesday, January 8, Instagram Story statement. In a follow-up post, she added that her family is “grateful for the kindness of friends that we had a place to land last night.”
Moore — who shares kids Gus, 3, Ozzie, 2, and Lou, 3 months, with her husband, Taylor Goldsmith — continued: “Trying to shield the kids from the immense sadness and worry I feel. Praying for everyone in our beautiful city. So gutted for the destruction and loss. Don’t know if our place made it.”
Santa Ana wind gusts caused fast-burning brush fires to begin on Tuesday, January 7. CNN reported on Wednesday that over 50,000 people were under evacuation orders Tuesday night, with over 30,000 remaining under orders into Wednesday.
Among those evacuated was Mark Hamill, who informed his Instagram followers that he, his wife, Marilou York, and their dog, Trixie, were staying at his daughter Chelsea’s house. “Most horrific fire since ’93 ,” he wrote on Wednesday. “STAY SAFE!”
Scroll down to see how the L.A. wildfires have affected some of Hollywood’s biggest stars:
Actor Steve Guttenberg is lending a helping hand as wildfires continue to spread across the Los Angeles area.
The ‘80s icon, 66, crashed a live KTLA 5 news report on Tuesday, January 7, to share an “important announcement” with viewers. “Here on Palisades Drive, if anybody has a car and they leave their car, leave the keys in the car so that we can move your car so that these firetrucks can get up Palisades Drive,” he said on air.
He went on to explain: “What’s happening is people take their keys with them as if they’re in a parking lot. This is not a parking lot. We really need people to move their cars. So, if you leave your car on Palisades Drive, leave the key in there so a guy like me can move your car and get ‘em up there so that these firetrucks can get up there. It’s really, really important.”
While the reporter didn’t recognize Guttenberg at first, he later asked, “You’re an actor?” After Guttenberg, known for movies like Three Men and a Baby and It Takes Two, confirmed he was, the reporter stated: “You look familiar to me now.”
During the interview, Guttenberg noted that he lives in the area but was concerned about friends unable to evacuate their homes. “There are people stuck up there, so we’re trying to clear Palisades Drive,” he said. “There are families up there. There are pets up there. There are people who really need help.”
He reemphasized how it’s “really important for everybody to band together,” adding, “Don’t worry about your personal property. Just get out. Get your loved ones and get out. I have friends up there that can’t get out right now and they’ve been given evacuation orders.”
The interview ended with Guttenberg and the news crew being asked to leave the area by fire officials.
Having gotten his professional acting start in the late ’70s, Guttenberg is well known for his roles in some of the biggest shows and movies of the ‘80s, including Police Academy, Cocoon, Short Circuit and The Bedroom Window. Other notable projects include The Big Green, The Poseidon Adventure, Veronica Mars, Ballers, The Goldbergs and Paper Empire.
Santa Ana wind gusts caused fast-burning brush fires to erupt starting around 10:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Times. On Wednesday, January 8, CNN reported that over 50,000 people in L.A. were under evacuation orders and that some residents lost their homes and experienced burn injuries.
Several stars have been affected by the wildfires, with celebs such as Eugene Levy, Mandy Moore, James Wood and Mark Hamill having to evacuate their homes. “The smoke looked pretty black and intense over the Temescal Canyon,” Levy, 78, told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday. “I couldn’t see any flames but the smoke was very dark.”
Sandra Lee shared footage of the flames getting dangerously close to her Malibu home via Instagram on Tuesday, writing: “As the fire draws closer, I pray for it — I pray for everyone in Los Angeles right now. What an incredibly terrifying moment for my community. As the fire reaches our doorstep, please stay in contact with each other; Community in times like these is our lifeline. We are all safe but the fire is inching closer to my slice of heaven in Malibu.”
She added: “I am sad but I am sending all my love to all the first responders and firefighters who are literally giving it all they’ve got to keep us safe!!!”