As Hoda Kotb continues to say goodbye to her time on the Today show, she’s also reconnecting with friends of the past.
On Tuesday, Jan. 7, during Kotb’s last week titled “Hoda-bration,” the 60-year-old was reunited with the Ludwig family. Jason and his two daughters, Savannah and Aubrey, first met Kotb in 2016 after Kotb forged a special bond with the girls’ late mother, Erin.
Erin and Kotb connected when they shared their separate breast cancer journeys with one another. Kotb was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. In 2016, the television host and the Today show then hosted the #PinkPowerTODAY series, which celebrated women around the nation who were diagnosed with breast cancer.
Kotb and Erin met and gravitated towards one another, but a few months later, Erin died at age 35 in March 2017. On the one-year anniversary of meeting the Ludwig family, Kotb reunited with Jason, Savannah and Aubrey and gifted the young girls giant teddy bears.
Now, in celebration of Kotb’s time on the Today show, her co-anchor Savannah Guthrie surprised her with an appearance from Jason, 13-year-old Savannah, and 10-year-old Aubrey.
The family came bearing gifts. Jason delivered his late wife’s favorite flowers to Kotb, and the girls brought similar stuffed animal bears for Hoda’s daughters, Hope, 5, and Haley, 7.
Kotb immediately hugged each one individually as she tearfully exclaimed, “Wow, wow, wow.” Guthrie added, “Look at these big girls!”
“We would not miss this for the world,” Jason said. “When we first got the call that we were asked to come back, [I] sat with the girls, we talked, and without a doubt, we all decided we wanted to come back and be here for you, Hoda. You have touched our lives in ways you have no idea,” he continued. “And we’re just a small percentage of the people whose lives you’ve touched over your career, and helped out.”
Jason continued to note that his family support system — including his dad, brother, sister, cousins, and girlfriend — assisted him in raising his daughters.
“My girlfriend has been there for me, and I couldn’t do it without her,” he said. Jason added that Erin is “still brought up in conversations.” Adding, “She’s still very alive in our house and in our memories.”
“I can’t believe this moment happened. You guys, I can’t, I don’t know how to say thank you,” Kotb said. “I can’t wait to tell my girls about you girls — it’s going to be pretty cool.”
Before they said goodbye, Jason revealed Aubrey also had a gift for Kotb and Guthrie. She gifted them handmade friendship bracelets.
“Oh, whoa,” Kotb said at the same time. “I will treasure this bracelet,” she said before telling the family she loves them and thanked them for their appearance.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Kotb’s final episode of Today and Today with Hoda and Jenna will air on Friday, Jan. 10. The Today show airs weekdays on NBC (beginning at 7 a.m. ET).
Read the full article here
