Savannah Guthrie Brings Hoda Kotb to Tears With Meaningful Gift

Peter Kramer/NBC

Savannah Guthrie brought Hoda Kotb to tears with a Christmas gift during the Today show.

The Today cast opened their Secret Santa gifts during the show’s broadcast on Wednesday, December 25. Guthrie, 52, revealed she had Kotb, 60, and the emotional gift had everyone feeling some type of way.

“This is for me? I got wishing candles,” Kotb said while opening her gift bag. When pulling out the second item, Kotb could be heard whispering, “Oh, God,” to herself before showing a small framed square to the camera.

“OK, this phrase, ‘May you find a light to guide you home.’ It’s a beautiful song that Savannah gave to me every time I was going through something new,” Kotb explained. “Oh, my God. It’s too much.”

The lyric is from the song “May You Find a Light” by Josh Garrels.

“I thought you could put it on your desk in the morning when you’re reading your stuff,” Guthrie explained. Kotb responded, “You know what I love about this the most? That’s your handwriting.”

Guthrie confirmed that she did write the framed note before sharing a hug with her cohost.

This year’s Christmas broadcast marked Kotb’s last with the Today show. She announced in September that she would be departing the show in 2025. (Kotb’s final episode date is January 10.)

“I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new. This is the right time for me to move on,” she shared at the time.

Kotb has hosted the Today show’s fourth hour since 2007 and became a coanchor of the morning show in 2018. She and Guthrie — who joined the Today family in 2012 — have experienced several ups and downs together, which made the gift that much more meaningful.

During Kotb’s Today tenure, she has spoken candidly about her personal life on air. In 2007, Kotb announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy.

She and Joel Schiffman adopted two daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, throughout her time on the show. Kotb and Schiffman also got engaged in November 2019 after six years together, just one year after the television host took over as the Today coanchor.

Two years later, Kotb announced that she and Schiffman split during a February 2022 Today broadcast. Throughout all the hardships, Guthrie has been by Kotb’s side.

Kotb even referred to Guthrie as her “ride-or-die” in an open letter on Today.com announcing her departure from the show.