Hoda Kotb is just hearing the news that 'Today' fans believe they have found her new love interest in Kevin Costner.
Hoda Kotb's finding out about the romance the internet (and Today) fans are shipping for her, and she's not mad about it.
On Tuesday's episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, a viewer called in and asked her how she feels about the world "shipping" her and Kevin Costner, following their sit-down interview last month.
After hearing the question, a shocked Kotb, 59, looked over to Cohen and her co-host and friend, Savannah Guthrie.
"Wait what?," she exclaimed with some laughter. "I have never ever heard that, not one time."
When asked by Guthrie if she's down for connecting with the Horizon: An American Saga star, Kotb was not against it.
"Well, if the viewers want it ," she quipped while looking at the camera.
"Give the people what they want," Guthrie added.
The conversation continued on Wednesday's episode of Today With Hoda and Jenna.
Kotb's co-anchor, Jenna Bush Hager, brought up the moment, admitting that she stayed up late to watch her pal on WWHL and that people have been personally asking her about shipping Kotb and Costner, 69.
"I actually did know because people were coming up to me on the street, and people were like, 'You should set up Hoda and Kevin Costner,'" she said. "I didn't know they were flirting behind my back."
Hoda, still shocked at the world's "unbelievable" requests, was even more surprised when the Today team ran an edit of her and Costner from the day of their interview. In the video, set to slow music, both the actor and the anchor lean into each other, and brush their hair away.
The video ends with Costner and Kotb sharing a hug.
"Y'all are ridiculous," Kotb said through laughter. "The slow-mo and the music, really?"
Kotb has been single since ending her split from her longtime love, Joel Schiffman, in January 2022. For his part, Costner settled his long and tumultuous divorce from Christine Baumgartner in September 2023 -- after 18 years of marriage.
Before jumping into any more potential talk of her and The Bodyguard actor dating, Hoda brought up the rumors that he's dating Jewel.
"They said that he was dating Jewel," she said. "And he said they were 'just friends,'" she said with air quotes.
Still, that didn't stop her from sharing a standout moment from the actor that caught her eye.
"I did love when he had his people here and they were talking about him and they were like, 'He is so funny.' They were describing him like, 'He likes to eat baked beans out of a can, like, he's just a regular person,' that's what she said," Kotb shared.
"Baked beans out of a can is what turns you on?," Hager asked her friend through laughter.
"I like that he wasn't fancy. I thought that was really cool," Kotb explained.
In true Jenna Bush Hager fashion, she promised to set her friend up.
"All I know is, I'm gonna reach out to him later today," she said.
In March, Kotb spoke to ET and revealed that her bestie had set her up with a man -- and they were approaching their third date.
"Jenna is like, 'How did I do?' because she wants to go to Heaven. Apparently, if you match three people up [you get to go]," Kotb quipped, before praising Hager as "a great picker."
"I had a great time... I had a great time on our date. I loved it," she gushed. "There has been a second one already. Hey, that's how it goes... We'll have our third coming up. It's really fun."
Kotb explained her desire to finally put herself back out there in the dating arena following the end of her relationship.
"Life is beautiful. Try things, go out, get out of your house and your apartment. I feel like life is meant to be experienced and [you should] step out into it," she said. "I love it."
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