Hoda Kotb says she will miss her Today show co-host Tamron Hall, but she’s also ready to welcome Megyn Kelly to the show with open arms — and an open bottle of wine.
Kotb and Hall both attended the 14th Annual Woman’s Day Red Dress Awards at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Tuesday – one of Hall’s first appearances since leaving NBC after it was revealed she would be replaced as co-host of the third-hour of Today.
This week’s issues of PEOPLE magazine has the inside story of why Hall walked away from the network.
Kotb tells PEOPLE that she has been texting and emailing with Hall since she left the network. The Kathie Lee & Hoda host also said she believes Hall has big endeavors ahead.
“Look, I’m gonna miss [Tamron],” Kotb says. “She’s a fun girl, she’s fun to have around. She was my dance partner. But I just know knowing Tamron, she’s gonna wind up in some fantastic spot. She has a long runway. I don’t know where she’ll wind up but I can picture her doing something great.”
She continues, “I mean, life’s a winding road and you never know. Sometimes something ends and something crazy begins. Keep your eyes open wide, you know it’s gonna be good.”
As for Kelly, who left Fox News last month for a new role at NBC News, Kotb is ready to meet her new colleague — and wants to test her limits with wine.
“I like [Megyn]. I want her to get here and I want her to break out a bottle of wine with us,” she says. “I wanna see what she’s made of. Let’s begin with that, then we’ll work in with the rest of it.”
Hall wore a red long-sleeved lace dress for the event. She took to her Instagram account to film herself on her way to the show — including a cameo appearance from her neighbor’s adorable pup.
“Come with me!” Hall says jokingly to the dog.
She captioned the video, “If you love a woman remind her #hearthealth matters.”
Other notable attendees to the event included Melissa Etheridge, Star Jones, Laila Ali and the event’s host Jane Lynch.
.jpg "Hoda Kotb Says She'll Miss Tamron Hall on 'Today' – but She's Ready to Drink Wine with Megyn Kelly")
