After Hoda Kotb signed off for the last time on Friday, the crew popped bottles of champagne to mark the milestone and there were ‘lots of tears’, a source said

Hoda Kotb bid farewell to her Today show crew this week, after being an NBC staple for nearly two decades.

The TV host, 60, announced in September that she was planning to leave the daytime show. And as she signed off for the last time on Friday, she was emotional to say goodbye to her colleagues.

After the cameras stopped rolling, the crew popped bottles of champagne to mark the milestone with Hoda, a source said. According to the insider, there were also “lots of tears” and the crew danced with Hoda going around to take pictures with everyone.

The source told Page Six, “There was music playing, lots of tears, and people dancing and hugging. Hoda went around and took a picture with everyone.” Several people including Hoda, Bush Hager, executive producer Talia Parkinson Jones and NBC News EVP Libby Leist, the source revealed.

Hoda with her colleagues on NBC show Today ( 
Image:
NBC)
Hoda ended her last day on the show wearing a white blazer and matching pants. She was joined by her colleagues, including Al Roker and Carson Daly, as she said her goodbyes. With tears running down her face, the anchor said, “I’m not even able to articulate it because I’m a mess most of the times, but I just want to say thanks. Carson [Daly], you’re like the secret sauce on this show, man. Without you the show doesn’t hum. Like, you have the thing and you brought it. You bring it every day.”

She continued, “Al, you’re my first friend here, the first person I met. When I got sick, you were the first person that walked into the room and said I was going to be okay.” She called co-host Savannah Guthrie “her person” and said, “Who shows up for everybody? This girl When your brother died, it was this girl. When I was going through stuff with Hope, it was this girl. She’s in the room. She’s always in the room and I love you.”

The team celebrated Hoda, cried and danced together ( 
Image:
NBC)
Hoda closed out by showing love to her replacement, Craig Melvin. She said, “Craig, I mean, I’m so happy for you. You earned this. You own this. And come Monday at 7:00 a.m., I’m going to be dead asleep. But you’re gonna be fantastic. You’re going to bring it home! Craig, you’re gonna be so good. You and Savannah are going to be magic.”

Simone Biles was a special guest and referred to Hoda as her “Olympic mom.” Hoda promised Simone that “whatever” she needs, she would be there. Kermit the Frog also made a special appearance and sang “Rainbow Connection” for Hoda, her daughters Haley, 8, and Hope, 5, and her Today colleagues.

Back in September, when Hoda announced she would be leaving the TV program, she told viewers, “I just turned 60 and it was such a monumental moment for me because I started to think about that decade like what does that decade mean, what does it hold, what does it have for me and I realized it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and to try something new.”