Hoda Kotb's Last Day on TODAY: Recap & LIVE UPDATES

And she gifted Kotb a Hoda T-shirt, a cheeky nod to King and Kotb saying fans frequently mix the two up. 

And her daughters made one more appearance on stage! 

It's a track about how if you enjoy the most regular day of your life, you'll love your life as a whole. 

"I want to say thank you from the bottom of my very full heart for the ride of a lifetime," she said. 

"I have a message for you," Gifford said to Kotb before singing the chorus of the classic jazz standard "The Best Is Yet to Come." 

"I fell in love with Hoda," Gifford said. "I looked forward every single day [to working with you]. She's sunshine in a bottle." 

Gifford then gave Kotb a beautiful wine toast and send-off, quoting Scripture. And she added, "May you walk into the most joyful, prosperous, purposeful time in your life." 

It was a sliced piece of fabric from the iconic NBC elevators. 

Fallon and Kotb have co-hosted several Thanksgiving Day parades together, and her kids call him "Uncle Jimmy/" 

"We're going to ruin her white suit," Bush Hager joked, referencing all the tears and hugs coming Kotb's way. 

"This is what love feels like," Kotb told the audience. "I just really want to say thank you for coming." 

Kotb's entire family was in the audience, including daughters Hope and Haley.

Kotb's mom, Sameha, was unable to attend in person but she sent a sweet message via video. "I'm proud of you, and I'm sure you're going to be doing great work later on. I love you so much," she said. 

Roker, Melvin and team confirm the "Hoda-bration" festivities will continue during TODAY's fourth hour, the final episode of TODAY With Hoda & Jenna.

This included Libby Leist, the TODAY executive producer who originally put Guthrie and Kotb together. She also thanked Laura and Mary, her glam team who are "supposed to make me look good on the outside but [also] make me feel good on the inside."  

Kermit then sang "Rainbow Connection" for Kotb and her daughters, getting laughs and tears from everyone. 

Kotb said interviewing Biles over the years has been a highlight of her career. Biles thanked Kotb for always creating a safe space for her to have vulnerable conversations. 

"Hopefully we're in L.A. together," Biles said cheekily, perhaps referring to the 2028 Olympics, though it was purposefully vague. "Whatever that means for the both of us." 

Kotb's friend Shriver then surprised her on air. "What you're doing is so brave," Shriver told Kotb about her departure and her new venture into the wellness space. "I'm so excited for you. It's scary and weird and hopeful and terrifying and all of the above all at the same time. And that's OK. You're made for this." 

They shared highlights from Kotb's career, including an early interview with Taylor Swift and her Olympics coverage, in addition to her storied chapter with Kathie Lee Gifford. 

"The 'Tunnel of Love' of all our TODAY show producers and staff," Guthrie said before her and Kotb went to say hello to the fans outside the studio. Then, the TODAY staff surprised her again by wearing Hoda Kotb friendship bracelets. 

Kotb says she is going to take home all the signs fans made for her today.

“I want to assure you that, yes, you have made the right move, even though it’s been very hard to do," Winfrey told Kotb in a video tribute. "Haley and Hope are going to benefit so much from this decision.” 

The TODAY co-anchors then celebrated with Kotb's favorite snack: Fritos and onion dip.

"Hoda's everyone's sister, and she's a sister to me," Guthrie said, revealing how their time together in the makeup chairs every morning often got emotional. "And then the poor makeup artist would have to start all over again," she said. 

"The reason Hoda has such incredible interviews is she reaches [across you] with her eyes and her heart," Guthrie added. 

"Hoda's always been able to take the work seriously without taking herself too seriously," Melvin said, referencing the Halloween episodes in particular. 

"Hoda doesn't have interviews," Melvin said. "She has conversations." 

"I think everything she does, she leads with her heart," Al Roker said, telling the specific story about how Kotb visited him daily in the hospital when he was sick. 

"When I think of Hoda, I definitely think of music," Carson Daly said as a montage of her rocking out at several TODAY concert series played. 

The through-line of all the messages was how thrilled the TODAY team is that Kotb will now get to have more time with her daughters, Haley and Hope. 

This included Kristin Chenoweth, who said, "You've put a handprint on my heart. And the world's heart. We don't say goodbye. We say, 'See you later.'"

And Jamie Lee Curtis, who said, "We send you off with a warm, 'Aloha.' And thanks for all the beautiful TODAYs that have added up to your career." 

Don't worry: The beloved segment isn't going anywhere. Bush Hager will be taking over duties of bringing TODAY viewers their daily dose of happy. "You're the perfect person [for this]," Kotb told Bush Hager. "This girl exudes all that is bright, sunshine, love."

The Dateline Host revealed Kotb once "asked me a question: 'Could you help me learn to narrate?' To be a storyteller, as if she needed my help. She was very kind, she listened. Over the years, I've seen her be kind to all kinds of people. That makes me very happy." 

Her and Melvin then cracked a joke which sent them all into giggles, including Kotb. "We have to laugh," Guthrie said. "Otherwise we'd burst into tears." 

The camera then panned to the folks outside the studio who were all cheering and holding up signs for Kotb. 

"I do want to say thank you," she said. "People came out in the crowd super early." 

Guthrie got emotional right as the broadcast started. "Our floor director said, 'One last time,'" she said, tears welling in her eyes. 

"We can't way to celebrate you," she said to Kotb.