Hoda Kotb shocked the morning show-loving world in September when she announced that she was stepping down from her long-running gig on Today. The celebrated talker’s last taping hit the 2025 TV schedule around mid-January, and one would think that leaving the show to spend more time with her two young daughters would automatically mean sleeping in and easing into the day at least a bit more. But, this is apparently not the case, as her former co-host, Jenna Bush Hager, just revealed that Kotb still rises at the “insane” hour of 4:30 a.m., and what she partially does with that time.
What Did Today’s Jenna Bush Hager Say That Hoda Kotb Does When She Wakes Up Before Dawn?
While many viewers love getting their day started with morning talk shows like Today, not only are those polished hosts super busy, but they can sacrifice a lot to deliver the latest and most entertaining info to us on a daily basis first thing in the a.m. This includes their crazy early wake up times, so that they can be up-to-speed and camera-ready by the time the rest of us are yawing, stretching and trying to come to life.
As Jenna Bush Hager noted on a recent episode of Today with Jenna & Friends that saw her co-host with Watch What Happens Live star Andy Cohen, Hoda Kotb (who had been with NBC since 2007) is still getting up before the crack of dawn, and doing it on her morning show schedule of 4:30 a.m. How does Bush Hager know this? Well, when asked how often she talks to her former co-host and forever friend, she replied:
This is the thing about Hoda: she still wakes up at 4:30 in the morning, which is insane. So early in the morning; she likes to send voice notes.
I know that lots of people have to wake up before the sun crosses the horizon so that they can get ready for work, but can you imagine? Not only is this an especially early alarm to set, but to continue to wake up at such a time when you literally no longer have to is WILD. And, how many of us can say that when we do rise at such an hour that we’re aware enough to send someone a voice note? Again, Hoda. Is. WIIIIIILD
Many of you are probably like I am, where you only wake up super early to leave on vacation or because your anxiety made you. Kotb, however, is just part of the early-risers club, I guess. When Craig Melvin began his new gig as anchor and stepped into the seat beside Savannah Guthrie, Kotb left a lovely poem for him on set. Now I can’t help but wonder if she came up with that idea while 99.9% of us were still fast asleep!
The former morning anchor, of course, isn’t filling all this awake time by simply hanging out with her kids and lounging by the pool. She’s already found some big projects to work on, with one including a partnership of some kind with Fixer Upper/Magnolia Network home design and lifestyle expert Joanna Gaines. So, she’s likely using some of these hours to put her plans in place, and while I can’t say that I’d willingly adopt this technique for my own life, I sure hope it’s working for Hoda!
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