After getting home from a hard day of work, a lot of people like to relax with a glass of something calming, such as a smoky bourbon or a 15-fruit sangria. But for Today hosts Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford, tis a far better thing to enjoy a libation or two while still on the clock, and the duo are known for clinking wine glasses during their pre-noon fourth-hour segment. Kotb recently worked some NBC synergy by appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers, where she explained why she and Kathie Lee first starting getting sip-sy on the air.
By the way, we started pouring wine on that show, and I promise you, I felt like the suits had no clue, and one day, they just watched our show and said, 'How long has that been going on?' It was the best. . . . You know what happened? Chelsea Handler came on and she had that book [Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea]. So we served her some drinks, and Brooke Shields shows up the next day and says, 'Where's mine?' And we go, 'Where's your what?' She goes, 'Where's my booze?' So we're like, 'Get her some booze!' And then all of a sudden, it just happened. I thought it was illegal to drink on the air. I thought it was some FCC violation, but no.
In the middle of her story, Seth Meyers did jump in to comment on something that many others were certainly thinking: it makes all the sense in the world that the booze-friendly Chelsea Handler would be the impetus behind Today's light party mode in the mornings. I do like the fact that, even though this is a professional TV studio for one of the biggest networks in the world, someone apparently had alcohol ready to pour at the drop of a fashionable earring. (Since Hoda doesn't wear a lot of hats.)
And way to go, Brooke Shields! She had the right idea in wondering why the intoxicating shenanigans weren't being extended her way as well. She might not have written a book with a specific alcohol name-checked in the title, but Shields deserves some mid-morning tippling as much as anyone else.
Just think...if Today had booked a young child star for the post-Chelsea episode, or some straight-edged teetotaler, then Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford might have just been drinking tea or coffee or -- gasp! -- water this whole time, rather than the juice of the vine. And Brooke Shields might have gone thirsty that morning. On the other hand, if they'd have had friendly rival Joel McHale on, it might have turned into a shot contest, resulting in everyone passing out.
While I don't imagine the CinemaBlend higher-ups are going to start making watermelon margaritas a lunchtime mainstay, we will continue bringing our readers up-to-date news on all the TV and movies worth reading about. While daydreaming about being as classy as Hoda, don't forget to watch Today every weekday morning on NBC, starting at 7:00 a.m. ET. And then head to our midseason premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way.
