Hoda Kotb had fans and friends alike buzzing over one of the photos she posted from the 2025 Super Bowl. The former Today show host shared a bunch of pics and videos from her time in New Orleans, Louisiana, but it was the image of her cozying up to Kevin Costner that really had people talking.
Even though Kotb sneakily slid the photo into the middle of a larger photo dump, there was no denying the huge smile on her face as she posed with the actor. Her former Today cohosts Savannah Guthrie and Jenna Bush Hager were among the commenters who made it clear that they are shipping this pairing.
“New couple alert cc @jennabhager,” Guthrie wrote, to which Hager replied, “@savannahguthrie we have been waiting for this moment!”
Kotb interviewed Costner on the Today show in June 2024, and viewers immediately noticed the great chemistry that they had. The interview generated major online buzz about a possible relationship between the stars, which Costner addressed in October.
“Well look, I’m not on a national dating service. I appreciate the good will,” Kevin told Entertainment Tonight. “She’s been great to me. When I go back there, people treat me well. They treat me good. And she’s got a spark and we’ve never had coffee together.”
When the interviewer told Costner she’d be happy to hit up Kotb and set something up, he played it cool. “Look, you know, I know how to meet girls if I have to,” he said.
When Kotb was asked about the situation in July, she admitted she had no idea that it was something fans were talking about. “I have never heard that. Not one time,” the journalist said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. When Guthrie asked if she’d be up for it now that she was aware of the buzz, she joked, “Well, if the viewers want it!”
Hager discussed the possibility on Today, as well. “People were coming up to me on the street, and people were like, ‘You should set up Hoda and Kevin Costner,’” she spilled. Kotb replied, “I did love when he had his people who were here and they were just talking about him. They were like, ‘He is so funny.’ And they were describing, like, he likes to eat baked beans out of the can. Like, he’s just a regular person.”
The actor finalized his divorce from Christine Baumgartner in February 2024, while Kotb ended her engagement to longtime partner Joel Schiffman in January 2022.