Before she became a national sensation, Hoda Kotb was an anchor at New Orleans station WWL-TV for six years in the 90s. Now, she is retiring after 20 year stint with NBC, where she was most recently a "Today" co-host with Jenna Bush Hager.

Hoda Kotb had a tearful sendoff Friday during her last day on Today, the NBC morning news franchise. "Can I just say thank you? I haven't been able to articulate it, because I'm a mess most times, but I just want to say thanks,

Special guests, including Simone Biles and Oprah Winfrey, offered tributes to the longtime host, capping off a week that “Today” had called a “Hoda-bration!”