By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-31 22:34:17 | Updated at 2024-11-07 02:51:51
6 days ago
Jenna Bush Hager has opened up about her Today cohost Hoda Kotb's shock decision to quit the morning show and admitted she feels sorry for her husband Henry the most.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com as part of Today's Halloween celebrations on Thursday, which saw Hoda, 60, and Jenna, 42, transform into Titanic's Jack and Rose, the mother-of-three admitted that she's 'still so sad' about her friend leaving.
'But I'm also thrilled for her because I know it's what she wants,' Jenna said. 'I know that what she wants is to be with her babes, and so I'm proud of her,' she added, referring to Hoda's two daughters Haley, seven, and Hope, four.
The former First Daughter then said of her husband of 16 years: 'Poor Henry! Because I tell her everything. Before I get home I've gone to therapy every single day! My husband is gonna be like "you're too much".'
Mother-of-two Hoda admitted she's also going to miss her 'beautiful' chats with Jenna, who replaced Kathie Lee Gifford on the show in April 2019.
Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager dressed up as Titanic's Jack and Rose for Halloween on Thursday
Jenna admitted her 'poor' husband Henry Hager will have to deal with her talking a lot once Hoda has left
'I'm gonna miss my kind of intimate moments with Jenna. Like every day I can think of something where we locked eyes and we talked about really beautiful, life-changing things,' Hoda explained.
'And I think, the only way you can get that is day in and day out, and I know that we're gonna be friends, for sure, but there is something about being able to sit with her and laugh with her.
'I mean, I have not laughed this hard, probably in my lifetime, than I have working with Jenna and every time I look at her, there are times where we can't even continue,' Hoda gushed.
'So I think it's little things. I'm gonna miss the show, yes, but more than that, a thousand times more than that.
'I'm gonna miss the feeling I get when I look over and see Jenna looking, whether she has something hilarious or something poignant to say,' the TV star added.
Hoda's other costars, Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie, also shared their thoughts on her leaving, now that the sad news has somewhat sunk in.
'Well, I mean, we're gonna miss her so much, it's hard to actually imagine Halloween or anything on this show without her,' Savannah, 52, said.
'But I make myself feel better because I know that she's gonna be around a lot. She's staying in the family, we'll still see her, but yeah, it'll be those big moments when we really miss it the most.
Savannah Guthrie admitted that everyone is going to miss Hoda 'so much' when she leaves
Al Roker, who dressed up as Beetlejuice for Halloween, told DailyMail.com that he's 'happy' for his friend Hoda
'So, she's leaving the show, but she's not leaving NBC, and she's certainly not leaving my heart or our lives, we'll always be together.
'I told her that the day she told me. I said, "Well, I'll always be by your side, we'll always be next to each other, whether we're sitting in these chairs or not".'
Al, who transformed into Beetlejuice for Today's Halloween show, shared those sentiments and told DailyMail.com: 'Well, you know, on the one hand, I'm gonna miss her every day, but she's still going to be part of the family, still coming in, we'll still see her.
'So I'm happy for her. She gets to sleep in and she gets to walk those girls to school,' the father-of-three added.
