Behind the Scenes at TODAY

HODA KOTB'S DEPARTURE BEGINS A NEW CHAPTER FOR THE BELOVED WAKEUP PROGRAM

Morning arrives very early for the hosts of Today. Savannah Guthrie sets her alarm for 3:30 a.m. Al Roker rises earlier, at 3:15 a.m. Even Craig Melvin, who boasts that he can “get out of the house in 22 minutes,” wakes at 3:45 a.m.

For the cast and crew, it’s the start of another day at the office. For a whopping 2.7 million TV viewers, Today is the best way to start the day. “America loves waking up to these people. They’re the secret ingredient,” says a Today insider. “The show is also iconic and one of the longest-running on TV.”

Hoda Kotb, who departed the anchor desk on Jan. 10 after 17 years with the show, admits she won’t be missing her 3:15 a.m. wake-up call. However, she will miss the NBC commissary on the ninth floor — “It’s got a good spread,” she confides — as well as the building’s gym and her Today friends. The feeling among her co-workers is mutual. “I don’t think anyone will not miss Hoda,” says the insider. “She’s like your best friend, sister and mother all rolled into one. She really made coming to work enjoyable.”

THE COUNTDOWN STARTS