Hoda Kotb

This is James and Foo Ab from Shits and Geeks and we're currently sponsored by TUI. Holidays, we all love going on one, but a holiday that doesn't go to plan, that's something everyone's wanted to avoid. So what you need to remember is, firstly, speak with the TUI Travel Advisor to find your next holiday as they have holidays to suit every couple or group of friends out there. Facts. And secondly, search the holiday hotline in your podcast app. You'll find advice from me and James and a load of other familiar voices such as Jamie Lang and Sophie Hubbu to Abby Clancy and Peter Crouch on how they found the perfect holiday. That's the holiday hotline, the destination to solve every holiday dilemma. TUI, you pick it, they sort it. Booking T's and C's apply, at all, an app to protect it. How would you describe McCain vibes? I would reckon it's like a crisp and a chip. If they had a beer, would you know what I mean? I don't know. A chip and a crisp. Combination. It's got crisp ancestry, but it's a chip. Like a hot chip, crisp combo thingy. Yeah, pure poetry. That was McCain vibes are chip, crisp, combo, hot snack thingies in a freezer aisle. Me, you. Hello, it's Sam and Pete here from Staying Relevant. Our podcast is currently brought to you by Audible. Pete Harry Potter, like you've never heard it before. It's a fully sound designed multicast production with hundreds of voices. All seven Harry Potter full cast audio editions are now available only from Audible. Right. So it's like actual actors doing the voices properly, not you trying to play every single character. Not just voices, man. Proper immersive audio. You feel like you're in it. Also, Audible's got over eight hundred and fifty thousand audiobooks and podcasts. Literally anything you could want. And they do Audible originals as well. Exclusive stuff you can only get on there. I quite enjoy an audiobook when I'm walking the dog first thing in the morning. Well, exactly. And you could try it for free. First books on them with a free trial. See Audible.co.uk for terms. I'm Ina Garten. I love to invite interesting people to my house for good food, great conversation and lots of fun. My friend, the incredible award-winning journalist, podcaster and writer, Hoda Kotb is joining me for a wonderful day at the barn. I'm making marinated herb feta for an easy metzaboard that I'll finish when she gets here. Hoda's sharing amazing life stories. After twenty seven rejections, I was ready to quit, actually. Then I'm teaching her the secrets of crispy fried chicken sandwiches, my take on her all-time favorite comfort food. Is this the fried chicken of your dreams? I'm going to tell you right now. You are so the perfect guest. I am. Ina says I'm the perfect guest. I'll take it. I love Hoda Kotb. She's smart, she's funny, and when she walks into her room, it's a party. Hoda actually doesn't love to entertain. So I'm going to show her something really easy to do, this metzaboard, where you basically buy all the ingredients and then you give it your own personal twist. I'm starting with feta and then to give it lots and lots of flavor, I'm going to add some ingredients like red pepper flakes right on the feta and some dried thyme. And some dried thyme. This kind of board you can just put out and everybody can help themselves. The easiest kind of entertaining and some fennel seeds, of course, crunchy salt, some pepper and then some olive oil. Just drizzle it on. How good that looks. And then just because I think it looks great, some sprigs of fresh thyme. Just round it and it'll flavor it too. And then some olives. So while I get ready to grill some bread, let me tell you about the stunning life of Hoda. Hoda Kotb is an award-winning journalist, beloved TV personality, author and media icon. Born in Oklahoma and brought up in West Virginia by her Egyptian parents, she studied broadcast journalism in Virginia Tech before getting a break reporting the news at a local TV station in Mississippi. After working as a reporter and an anchor at several stations, she joined NBC's Dateline News Show as a correspondent. In 2007, she joined the Today Show's fourth hour. And then in 2018, she became a co-anchor with Savannah Guthrie. Hoda joined us every morning for an incredible 18 years. In 2025, Hoda stepped down from the Today Show full time, but she still occasionally appears on the show. Hoda has won awards from an Emmy to a Peabody. She also writes bestselling motivational and children's books, posts her podcast Making Space, interviewing incredible guests that resilience and self-discovery. And as a breast cancer survivor, she advocates for breast cancer awareness. These days, Hoda lives with her two adorable daughters, Haley and Hope. She really does it all, doesn't she? Hoda makes me want to be a better person. She's amazing. OK, I'm going to just grill some bread, a little olive oil, a little salt. OK, and I'm going to put right on the grill pan. Perfect. OK, a little pepper. I'm going to grill it about two minutes each side, and then I'm going to get back to making the metzaboard. OK, the toast is done. I'm just going to bring it over to the board. I like to have like shards of toast, so I'm going to cut it in pieces. Just rough pieces just like that. This is fun to make, but it's also fun to eat. I love to put out things that are like family style and everybody just helps themselves. I mean, that's about as easy as it gets, right? And then let's see. We have cherry tomatoes right on the vine. Need something with color. Just stack them up and some cucumbers. These are little Persian cucumbers that I cut in wedges. Looks pretty good already, doesn't it? All right, I'm in place. Last few things for the metzaboard. I've got Baba Ghanoush and Hummus, and this is going to be such a special day. Oh, on my way to see Ina. OK, here's the thing. Ina claims that she's going to teach me something that no one's ever taught me before. People have tried and failed, but Ina says that she can turn me into an entertainer. I sure hope she can do it. I'd love to be able to do that. Kind of wondered what Ina's place would look like. And you know what? Exactly like this. Wow. Oh, I've been waiting for this. It's been way too long. So I made a metzaboard for you. It's so easy, no cooking at all. Even you can do it. Are you positive? We'll see. OK, OK. So it's just feta and grilled bread and cucumbers. And I actually bought hummus. Yeah. And I put it in a beautiful little bowl and then I decorate it. I make it special. So I take some pine nuts. Uh-huh. Put pine nuts on top. Beautiful. Yeah. And then some olive oil. And everybody thinks you made it yourself. I won't tell them will you? But you not a single word. Beautiful. And then I have Baba Ghanoush, which I love. Mine too. My favorite. I love a mezziplatter. Oh, good. Oh, good. So I nailed it. What's happening right now. Oh, good. OK, good. And then what I do is I'll take little pomegranate and put it on top. Beautiful. Yum. Yum. Yum. A little more olive oil. OK, just a drizzle. Just a drizzle. And now you've got a mezziplatter. This looks so delicious. That's simple, huh? It's simple. Didn't have to turn off the oven. No, did you? It's fantastic. People walk in, think you're fabulous. And a toast to Hoda. Oh, thank you. Cheers to you. So this looks so good. So will you help yourself? Yes, I will. And this bread, did you bake this? And hummus? No, I didn't bake it. Girl, I want you to bake her. I want you to bake her. This looks so delicious. So how are the girls? Oh, my God, they're great. One is in third grade. She's eight. The other one is in first grade. And actually, my little one, when I was, you know, thinking about leaving the Today Show, said something that kind of changed the whole course of my life. This weird moment happened when we were in my front yard and she was climbing a tree up and down, up and down, up and down. And she was at the top of the tree. And I was just looking at her and I go, honey, what are you going to do now? I said, you're at the top of the tree. And she looked down at me and she said, well, I guess it's just time to find a different tree. I go, I just got chills. I really did. I just got chills. You know what? I think deep down I knew, but it's sort of like when you pay attention, all the messages come and that one came from hope. Isn't that great? I was amazing. Now, let's eat. Oh, my God, that bread. I love it. I love it. Oh, my gosh, you might actually turn me into an entertainer. Time is right. Time is right now. The message is here. You may not know that aside from having the most iconic fleet in ocean travel, Cunard's Four Queens also host a remarkable cast of extraordinary people. So after a morning spent relaxing, there are talks, classes, perhaps even lunch by the pool with the leading lights of literature, culture, fashion and theatre. Then when evening falls, feel the ship come alive as stages are set for glittering garras and the most prestigious performances at sea. Why cruise when you can Cunard? Hey, guys, it's Safir and Chintzia from the Girls' Bathroom and our podcast is currently sponsored by the Cabri Amour range. Honestly, I feel like in life, there's so many amazing things we can combine for an ultimate experience. Here here and talking about the ultimate combination, Cabri Amour is taking chocolate to the next level. We have the Cabri Amour caramel nut crunch. We've also got the Cabri Amour nutty praline crisp and the brand new Cabri Amour Lotus Biscoff. They are all made from layers of delicious ingredients brought together by that coating of Cabri chocolate we all know and love. Girls, try the full range now. Give in to more. One in three people born today will develop dementia. It could be a parent, a friend, a partner. Donate to Alzheimer's Society today and get your Forget Me Not badge. Wear yours with pride this June and join the society who will research it, support each other through it and beat it. Just search Forget Me Not appeal and donate now. Hi, it's Jill here from the Stick to Football podcast and we're currently sponsored by Top Cashback, the UK's leading cashback side. With a huge summer of sport and must watch shows arriving, I've been looking at upgrading my entertainment set up at Curries, Argos and eBay. Getting cash back on those big treats and even your weekly shop just makes spending feel a lot savvier. There are over 6,000 brands on there. So if you're buying it, you might as well get something back. If you use Top Cashback regularly, you can build up a serious pot of money. Members can earn over £300 a year shopping across the site. It's a proper win that takes a sting out of spending. Join TopCashback.co.uk today and get more back when you spend. I'm here with Hoda so many times that the Today Show you interviewed me. Yes. And now I'm interviewing you. You know what? I like your seat much better than this seat, I have to say. So take me back. Yeah. Your parents are from Egypt, but where were you born and where did you grow up? I was born in Oklahoma. Then we moved to Morgantown, West Virginia, where we spent most of our kind of formative years and then around fifth or sixth grade, we moved again to the DC area, to Alexandria, Virginia, but my parents were the assimilating kind of immigrants. When they came, they were like, you were all, you know, anything's possible and all that stuff and I'm like, I can be anything. And I believed it deep down inside. And you came from a long line of really strong women. So my grandmother was one of the first female doctors in all of Egypt. Her sister, my great aunt, was the first female lawyer in all of Egypt. She was just incredible. I know, like, wait, what? Trailblazers. That's exactly right. So you just believed like anything was possible. So you decided to be a journalist. You went to journalism school. How did you get into reporting? Do you send out a tape of you? Well, I actually hand delivered the mine. I drove. I drove. How many did you send out? Twenty seven. Well, and I drove and met somebody and showed them my tape and they were like, no, you're no good. I was like, thank you. I took my tape back. And then finally, after twenty seven rejections, I was ready to quit, actually. And then one guy in Mississippi, Stan Sandroni, he gave me a break. I had the most festive gentlemen of them all with me. Santa Claus is here. And we've got kids. We've got Santa. We've got Ansela Baby here. Santa, it's nice to have you here on the show. And they asked us many, many years later to bring someone to Studio one, a who changed the course of our life. And I brought Stan and Stan walked into that newsroom. He's like, oh, my God, Al Roker. Hey, this is amazing. I knew you could do what he was saying about me. It just takes the one who told you that what you needed to do to be successful would be yourself. You know who told me that, actually, Kathy Lee and she is herself. She is a hundred percent herself. God, I haven't thought about that. I was trying so hard to be right, to get camera one right and camera two right and get the script right and get out on time so that everyone said you did a good job and it was so dull. It was horrible. And Kathy Lee just on the air, she would just launch grenades at me. What's a grenade? OK, here's the worst one. OK, here's what she did. I'm in the makeup room. It is Valentine's Day and she goes, hey, how do women happy Valentine's Day? I go, I hate Valentine's Day. She goes, why? I go, well, I met my ex-husband on Valentine's Day and my divorce papers like came in the mail on Valentine's Day. She says, oh, that's terrible. So we get up on the set and I go, good morning, everybody. I'm saying to the camera, happy Valentine's Day. And she goes, not for you. I go, not for me. That was for the makeup room. What are you doing? So but she taught me just be you. Wards and all. So what? Don't worry about it. And so that kind of taught me to be myself. You have stuck to who you are. Through all the iterations. I was just imagining how many times people said to you, I know, you know, we need we need more laugh, but you never wavered. Before just before I did TV, I thought, well, I need some somebody to teach me how to do this because I've never done TV. And she said, you need to be a little perkier. And I was like, no, I don't. You knew I just said, OK, I'm just going to do what I do. And if they don't like it, then they won't watch. But, you know, it worked out OK. Yeah, I would say it worked out OK. So so you decide to leave today, which is the scariest thing. You've spent your entire life building up to get this job. It's the best job you'll ever have. Best job ever. No question. There's nowhere to go from there. Now you just say, OK, that's what went into the decision to walk away from it. You know, it was my 60th birthday on the plaza. And it was a big party. And I had been wondering about what my next decade was going to look like. It was just like one of those magical days. And all of a sudden I realized I thought to myself, like, this is the top of the wave. I'm sitting on top and the views extraordinary. And I thought about that. I thought it's it's time for like a different wave. Like, let's see what's next. It may not be the today show wave, which is like what? That's insane. But it will be exciting and thrilling and nourishing. And you'll learn from it. Yes. What was your first day like at home? I went downstairs where I have an office and I lit some candles. And I was scribbling in my journal and Haley, who is my oldest, who's now eight, came walking into my office and she goes, you really are here. And she hugged me and I sat on that chair and rocked her. And I was like, yes, yes. This was worth it. And that's that's how you knew that's how I knew. That's how I knew. And it was a beautiful day. Nothing eventful happened at all and it was magic. Wow. Yeah. So what do you look for in friends? I have a group of five who are my besties. I look for people who are clear and honest, who are great listeners. I look for people who like to have a good time. I was going to say, sense of humor is critical for me. If you don't have that, I can't I just can't do it. And I look for someone who when I'm dialing their number at two in the morning, I know they'll pick up. Yeah. That's it. That's it. Full stop. I'm really proud of this group that I have. There are, you know, let me know if somebody drops out. There's always room for six. I know. I love on your podcast, Making Space, that you ask people, what was your childhood bedroom like? That's such a great question. What was your childhood bedroom like? Well, I shared a bedroom with my sister. Yeah. And we had bunk beds and she had the top and I had the bottom. Was that fun or did you want your own bedroom? I kind of liked being with her in the room and she was older and cooler and all that stuff. And I had posters. I had like Barry Manilow and the guy from Chips. You know, Eric Estrada. I remember my sister. I remember our conversations and I remember people. Not things. Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's that's who you are. Oh, so. What were your favorite foods as a kid? My mom used to make grape leaves, which are delicious. And I loved her baklava. So those are the things that I remember that are different or like those kinds of things, the things that give me comfort and make me feel like. Ha, or things like fried chicken, like a real crunchy, delicious piece like that. To me, biting into that. Like I feel like my body relaxing, even imagining that I'm doing that. What were mealtimes like at home when you were a kid? I picture us sitting around our table. There were five of us, you know, my brother, my sister, me, my mom and dad. My dad passed when I was in college suddenly. But I remembered sitting at the table and there being like an empty seat. And anyone who's lost somebody knows the feeling and you're like and we're trying to figure out how to be what to be. We always had our meals together. So therefore it mattered. We're sitting down and we're eating like that's how we did it. So you love fried chicken. How about if I make you fried chicken sandwiches? Girl, I would love a fried chicken sandwich made by you. Yes, please. Hodor and I were talking about our favorite comfort foods and somehow fried chicken came up. So we're going to make fried chicken sandwiches together. OK, I'm dying because I want to know what an iron a garden fried chicken sandwich tastes like. It has great flavor. That's OK. Great texture. Lots of crunch. Lots of crunch. That's it. That's all there is. OK, first we're going to make a marinade. Are you going to make a marinade? OK. Yes, I will. I want to look at that thing in. Put it in. All right. OK. So I've got one shallot all OK. Dump. And you want to help you. That in. Yes, I do. And to give it a little heat is one jalapeno cut in half with the seeds. And you're doing the whole thing in there. OK. Just put the whole thing in. And I've got two cloves of garlic. I'm just going to smash them so it has more flavor. And everything has to have salt and pepper. Of course. Do you want me to stir or just wait? Yeah, just give it a little stir. Two teaspoons of salt. Two teaspoons. OK. One teaspoon of pepper. OK. And so I actually have three chicken breasts, which I pounded. OK. And I cut them in half. All right. Because you don't want a huge piece of chicken. No, by the way, that's the perfect size. So I'm just going to put it right in the marinade. And how long are these guys going to hang out in here? Eight hours is great. Eight. OK. But not more than 24, because actually the marinade tenderizes the chicken and you don't want it to be over tenderized. And that's all there is. Come on. I can't be it. Well, we have to cook it. Oh, that's OK. So do you want to put this in the fridge? Yes. I actually have one that's been marinating. You did that already? You know, I'm ironing a garden. Of course you are. Thank you. Love having a sous chef. OK, now we're going to make the coating. OK. That's the next part. So three and a half cups of flour. I have four teaspoons of baking powder. OK. So is it really true you don't love to entertain? Do you entertain at all? I do not, except for, I have to say, I did have a barbecue in my backyard. People came, I fed them burgers, chips. Yeah. And I was like, I did that. I don't think people realize that it's not about like doing some crazy over the top thing. It's about surrounding yourself with fun people and having a good meal. And that's all it's about. Right. OK. So I need two and a half teaspoons of smoked paprika. OK. One teaspoon of cayenne pepper. This recipe actually is originally from Shake Shack. Wait, what? I love the Shake Shack chicken shack. It's so good. Yes. And one teaspoon of celery salt, tablespoon of salt and one and a half teaspoons of pepper. OK. That's your coating? Whisk. OK. I want to watch how this happens. Lovely. OK. I'm going to take one of the pieces of chicken. See it. Put it in the coating. OK. Oh, you really get a good coating on that. Exactly. Then back in the marinade. Wow. Why is it so fascinating to me watching this process? And then back in the coating. Exactly. And then you just dust it off. Put it on a plate. OK. That's a beauty. Isn't that great? That's a beauty. OK. Let's do two more. OK. And then I know what happens next. Back in the marinade. Uh-huh. God, that's amazing. Back in the coating. Uh-huh. That's going to be delicious. And then one more. I mean, it doesn't take any more time. It's just another second to put it in. I know. And there it is. These are going to go into the oil. OK. 350 degrees for five minutes. Yeah. And they're going to be perfectly cooked. OK. All right. And then we're going to coat and cook the other three. OK. There you go. Look at that. That's crazy. You're a great cook. Wait, that's it? We get sandwiches in five minutes? We do. How did that happen? OK. Looking for a new best friend? Prime Video brings the magic. Watch partners who solve crimes faster than their homework in the new series Young Sherlock. Sherlock Holmes, James Moriarty. And friends who slay together, stay together. In the action packed thriller Pretty Lethal. The only way out is together. For more FISTE friendships, it's right here on Prime Video. Subscription required, except to rental buy. Content may include ads, 18 plus, T's and C's apply. This is an ad by BetterHelp. Did I talk too much? I should have handled that better. Why can't I just let it go? Why did I do that? I wish I would stop thinking so much. Take a breath. You're not alone. Counselling helps you sort through the noise with qualified professionals. Get matched with a therapist online based on your unique needs and get help with everyday struggles like anxiety or managing tough emotions. Visit betterhelp.com forward slash random podcast for 10% off your first month of online therapy and let life feel better. It all starts with Panini. We're tackling floods and you can help too. So the fried chicken's all done. Can I just marvel at this masterpiece? I'm like dying right now. What are we doing? More salt? Salt's the thing. Exactly. So now let's make the sandwiches. OK, let's do it. I got two buns toasted in the oven. No jokes from you. I was going to say, I got two buns too. OK. And I made a buttermilk. Oh, which is so good. What's in that? That looks delicious. So you're right now. The mayo is so simple. I just started with a cup of good mayonnaise, added two tablespoons of buttermilk, a teaspoon of white wine vinegar and two tablespoons of sliced scallions. Next, I added a tablespoon of minced parsley, tablespoon of minced chives and an eighth of a teaspoon of minced thyme, plus half a teaspoon of kosher salt and a quarter of a teaspoon of black pepper. Then I just whisked everything together and that was the mayo. Done. It seemed like even someone like me could do it. I know. I have full of faith in you. Oh, yes, you do. OK, so I'm just going to put a little bit on each side of the roll. So the buns. OK, and then I'm going to take two pieces of lettuce. OK, goes on the bottoms. All right. And I don't know, maybe four pickle slices. Uh-huh, lovely. Not three, not five. No, definitely not. Even Steven. Whatever you like. And then you want to put a piece of chicken on each one. Yes, I do. Right on top of the pickles. Look at this. Look at this chicken. Wait, look at this chicken. Look what's happening right now. And you put the top right back on. Right back on. No, I dare you to eat this. You dare me? Oh, you don't have to dare me. Oh, my God. Just wait, how gorgeous is that? Look at it. Is this the fried chicken of your dreams? I'm going to tell you right now. Oh, my God. I know. No, I'm going to tell you right now. That's the best fried chicken sandwich I have ever. No, I'm not saying that. Oh, my God. I know that you're not supposed to polish the whole thing off. But I'm going to go on record. I don't care. OK, one more. Oh, my God. I'm not kidding. That's insane. Do you know what I'm talking about? Is it all over me? I don't care. It's insane. I'm so glad you love it. I'm so happy. Best day ever. Best day ever. Hi, it's Coulson, Jack and Ben from the podcast. On the sofa and we're currently sponsored by Top Cashback, the UK's leading cashback site that adds joy whenever you spend money. With Top Cashback, you can earn many back from the purchases you make at a huge range of brands, B&Q, eBay, Dun Elm, Argos and Curries, to name a few. There are over 6,000 brands to shop at for a variety of different needs. Anything from your weekly food shop to your spring home improvements. And with regular use while you shop, your cash back can build up. Members can earn over 300 pounds a year shopping across the site. Join TopCashback.co.uk today. McDonald's breakfast is turning up the heat with a spicy new twist. Calm down, not that spicy. Breakfast is for savor and not so fun. Introducing McDonald's breakfast with Frank's red hot ketchup. A spicy breakfast suitable for the morning. Until 8th of June, served until 11 AM, subject to availability. What if cleaning wasn't a chore? What if it was jazz? Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Purdy and Fig, the plant-based cleaning spray. The smells so good, you'll forget you're even cleaning. Slide that cloth side to side. Effortlessly glide from room to room. A spray of orange and grapefruit, a spritz of coriander and vetiver. Your home is now transformed into a spa. Visit purdyandfig.com and change the way you clean forever. From rusty chains to fancy frames and everything in between. Sign up for British Heart Foundation's iconic London to Brighton bike ride. Because it's not your wheels, it's how you use them. Whether you're a brand new rider or season pro, challenge yourself this June and make your ride matter with British Heart Foundation. And you won't need any fancy gear, just your helmet and your bike. Sign up today, search London to Brighton bike ride and keep us beating.