What To Know
- Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager will reunite to cohost an upcoming NBC holiday special.
- The two-hour primetime will feature a variety of celebrity appearances, including several NBC personalities.
- This marks Kotb and Bush Hager’s first TV project together since Kotb left Today in January.
Though Hoda Kotb has made several Today appearances since leaving the show earlier this year, she has yet to reunite with Jenna Bush Hager for a new project — until now.
The former fourth-hour cohosts of Today will once again cohost NBC’s annual New Year’s Eve special on Wednesday, December 31. The two-hour, primetime special, titled A Toast to 2025!, will see Kotb and Bush Hager “look back at the most unforgettable, buzziest and inspiring moments of 2025” alongside several celebrity guests, NBC announced on Monday, December 22.
The special’s lineup of guests includes NBC News personalities such as Blayne Alexander, Andrea Canning, Dylan Dreyer, Willie Geist, Savannah Guthrie, Lester Holt, Tom Llamas, Josh Mankiewicz, Craig Melvin, Keith Morrison, and Al Roker, along with NBC Sports & Olympians Maria Taylor, Lindsey Vonn, and Johnny Weir, and Telemundo’s Nicole Suarez.
Stars from some of NBC and biggest shows will also appear to help Kotb and Bush Hager ring in the new year, including Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila (American Ninja Warrior), Howie Mandel (America’s Got Talent), David Alan Grier (St. Denis Medical), Belissa Escobedo (Happy’s Place), Melissa Roxburgh and Sara Garcia (The Hunting Party), Josh McKenzie and Patrick Sabongui (The Hunting Party), Kristin Chenoweth and Jenn Lyon (Stumble), and Chris Hardwick (The Wall).
Peacock’s Jabari Banks (Bel-Air), Amaya Espinal and Ariana Madix (Love Island USA), Tom Daley (The Celebrity Traitors UK), Chris Sullivan (Devil in Disguise), Chelsea Frei (The Paper), Tiffany Haddish (Tiffany Haddish Goes Off) will also join the party.
NBC
Additional guests include Ethan Slater, Brian Baumgartner, Jim Gaffigan, Lil Rel Howery, Nate Jackson, Carson Kressley, Loni Love, Chris Mann, Bobby Moynihan, Tom Papa, Rob Riggle, and Wanda Sykes.
This year’s A Toast to 2025! marks NBC News and Dateline‘s 11th NYE special. Liz Cole serves as senior executive producer, along with Paul Ryan as executive producer, Charmian Ling as senior producer, and Justin Smith as supervising producer.
The NYE celebration will mark Kotb and Bush Hager’s first TV project since Kotb exited Today on January 10. She has gone on to release a new book, Jump and Find Joy, and to launch her wellness company, Joy 101, in addition to making occasional appearances on Today.
Bush Hager, meanwhile, has continued to lead the fourth hour of Today (Today With Jenna & Friends) with a variety of celebrity cohosts over the past year. Sheinelle Jones will become Bush Hager’s permanent cohost starting on January 12, after which the show will be renamed Today With Jenna & Sheinelle.
Following her A Toast to 2025! reunion with Bush Hager, Kotb will team up with Roker and Melvin to cohost the 137th Rose Parade on Thursday, January 1. The parade will be available to watch on both NBC and Peacock.
A Toast to 2025!, Wednesday, December 31, 10:30/9:30c, NBC
