Hoda Kotb Pays Good Tribute to Blazer That Led to His Big Score

When Hoda Kotb the church is closed Today called “Hoda-bration!” in honor of the longtime host’s last day on Friday, January 10, she wore a half white blazer suit for Veronica Beard, which, ironically, felt like a full-circle moment honoring her illustrious career.

While Kotb, 60, has been part of the fabric of NBC News for almost 30 years (he announced that he will leave in September 2024), it is hard to believe that he faced so many rejections. He was rejected 27 times for a television job before someone finally said “yes,” and he said his big break was because of a coat.

On his first day, the anchor fell ill so he filled in for the evening newscast. “The litmus test of who anchors the news at Greenville, Mississippi’s WXVT News Center 15, is who will work in a blazer,” Kotb said in an interview with PR for Anyone.

“I remember [Stan Sandroni, the late news director,] he growled, then said, ‘Okay, who has the blazer?’ I go, ‘What?’ ‘A jacket. Who has a coat?’ I go, ‘A jacket? I have a jacket. It’s hanging on a hanger.’ ‘Oh, you need to stop the news, because Ann [Martin] he is sick,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘Okay!’”

He often looks back on that moment and says it only takes one person (and one blazer) to change your life, which made his smart-ass goodbye sound all the more appropriate. A proud wardrobe repeater, Kotb has always kept his work uniform simple and organized.

“I have worn one dress I don’t know how many times. I wear everything again,” said Kotb in an interview with 2020 It’s a luxury. “Some woman tweeted me, ‘I’ve seen this dress 57 times,’ and she was right!”

Kotb continued: “Our staff even posted pictures of the times I wore them. I thought it was funny … There are people who are cooler than me, who have a cooler sense of fashion than I will ever have. It’s not my thing.”

His pragmatic wisdom was echoed by Savannah Guthrie in a video shared on YouTube on Friday, January 10. “He’s all about the essentials,” Guthrie, 53, said. Then she held up Kotb’s “red carpet purse” which was a shiny, shiny Ziplock bag, cash and a banana snack. Guthrie ended on a serious note: “I love you deeply whether you sit next to me or not whether we wake up at 4 in the morning together or not, I will always be by your side.”

Indeed, Kotb took a similarly sympathetic approach with her accessories: stacks of bracelets, rings and necklaces for her final piece that she says she holds near and dear to her heart.

She revealed, “This top ring says, ‘You too,'” a gift she received from Guthrie, before showing off a ring Guthrie gave her that said, “Love.”

On the other hand, Guthrie chose a black dress for the farewell show, because he was “in grief” on the last day of his beloved colleague. Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve – or a blazer.