Hoda Kotb Surprises Savannah Guthrie With Unexpected Today Visit — But Savannah Had A Surprise Of Her Own

Hoda Kotb made an unexpected return to the Today show on Tuesday, September 29, hoping to surprise her former colleagues.

Instead, the former Today host ended up getting a surprise of her own when Savannah Guthrie revealed exactly how their reunion began that morning.

Kotb had not told anyone she was coming to the NBC studios in New York, making her appearance a genuine shock for the current Today team.

Hoda Kotb Returns For A Surprise Reunion

While the hosts were outside on the plaza, Craig Melvin announced that the group was about to have a family reunion.

“We’ve got a family reunion,” Melvin told the anchors. “Hoda Kotb just popped in.”

Kotb then joined Guthrie, Melvin, Carson Daly, Dylan Dreyer, Sheinelle Jones and Jenna Bush Hager.

Bush Hager admitted she was surprised because she and Kotb had spoken just the day before, yet Kotb had given no indication that she planned to visit the studio.

“I wanted to surprise you!” Kotb told her former colleagues.

The reunion quickly became a warm and emotional moment as Kotb reconnected with the Today team.

But Savannah Guthrie Had A Story Of Her Own

Guthrie then revealed that she had already been surprised by Kotb earlier that morning — although it was not quite the kind of surprise she had expected.

She explained that she heard a knock on the door of her dressing room.

Then came a voice telling her to come right in.

The problem?

Guthrie was in her underwear.

“This morning I heard a knock on the door and then followed by a ‘Just come right in!’ and I was naked,” Guthrie recalled.

She quickly clarified that she meant she was wearing her underwear when Kotb walked in.

“And it was Hoda. I mean, I was in my underwear, but I was like, ‘Hi!’” she joked.

Kotb confirmed the unexpected encounter, adding that the two still managed to get their hug.

“Everyone’s Trying To Get That Visual Out Of Their Head”

The story immediately sent the studio into laughter.

Guthrie joked that everyone was now trying to erase the mental image of her standing there in her underwear when Kotb arrived.

“Everyone’s trying to get that visual out of their head of me naked,” she said.

The unexpected story became one of the funniest moments of Kotb’s surprise visit and showed just how comfortable the longtime friends and former co-hosts remain with each other.

Is Hoda Kotb Coming Back?

With Kotb back inside the Today studio, the conversation naturally turned to whether the former host might actually be returning to the morning show.

Carson Daly asked the question many viewers were probably thinking.

“Should Craig get his stuff out of…?”

Melvin immediately played along.

“I’m ready. I’m ready!” he joked.

Kotb quickly made clear that Melvin was not going anywhere.

“Craig’s going nowhere!” she told the crowd.

She explained that she was only back at the studio because she was there to report a story for the morning programme.

Kotb Has Returned Before

This was not Kotb’s first temporary return to Today since leaving the show in January 2025.

She previously stepped in earlier this year when Guthrie took an extended leave to Arizona following the disappearance of her mother, Nancy Guthrie.

Kotb also sat down with Guthrie in March to discuss what the anchor was going through at the time.

Her latest appearance was considerably lighter, however, with the surprise reunion quickly turning into a playful exchange between longtime colleagues.

A Sweet Reunion For The Today Family

Kotb left Today in January 2025 after deciding to spend more time with her daughters, Haley and Hope, as well as focus on her health app, Joy 101.

Jenna Bush Hager subsequently became the permanent fourth-hour co-host, while Craig Melvin took over Kotb’s role on the main morning programme.

Even after stepping away, Kotb has remained closely connected to her former colleagues.

Her surprise visit on September 29 offered another reminder of that bond — although Savannah Guthrie’s unexpected dressing-room story ensured that the reunion came with a memorable twist.

Hoda came to Today hoping to surprise Savannah. Instead, Savannah ended up revealing the one detail Hoda probably never expected to become part of the morning show conversation.