Hoda Kotb Talks Secret Signal for Jenna Bush Hager on Thanksgiving

Hoda Kotb is taking inspiration from another famous duo for her Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade shout-out to Jenna Bush Hager.

“Last year, Hoda and I came up with this secret symbol, which was Hoda brushing her teeth with a finger,” Bush Hager, 43, explained on the Wednesday, November 27, episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna. Kotb, 60, noted that the gesture was an “indicator that I was thinking of Jenna.”

In celebration of their final Thanksgiving as the fourth hour of Today cohosts, Kotb has another sweet signal planned for this year’s parade. “I’ve been thinking, like, ‘What could it possibly be?’ And there’s only one thing it could be,” Kotb shared, revealing she’s stealing a dance move from Matt Rogers’ “RockaFellaCenta” music video.

In the track, Rogers, 34, sings, “I wanna see Jenna Bush Hager come out the building / Because that’s where she works.” As he sings the line in the music video, his “Las Culturistas” podcast cohost, Bowen Yang, shakes his arms as they dance with Kotb and Bush Hager.

“So, whenever I see Jenna, I go like this [dances],” Kotb stated before busting the move. Bush Hager added: “We do it together. It’s sort of our call sign.”

Bush Hager is sure to keep her eyes glued to the TV to catch Kotb’s dance move signal, as she initially missed Kotb’s gesture last year due to a holiday accident. “Our [Christmas] tree fell over at the beginning of the parade with all the stuff on it,” she shared. “I had paused [the parade] because I was looking for [Hoda’s signal], and somebody texted me and tons [social media users said], ‘Hey Jenna, go, go. She did it, she did it.’ So then, we got to watch.”

Bush Hager showed her appreciation for the sweet shoutout by sharing a screenshot of Kotb pretending to wipe lipstick off her teeth from last year’s parade broadcast via Instagram. “What a true one @hodakotb! Her secret sign!!!” she captioned the November 2023 Instagram post.

One month after last year’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Rogers and Yang, 34, stopped by Hoda & Jenna to perform their hilarious holiday track, which was featured on Roger’s 2023 album Have You Heard of Christmas?

“It’s the giving season, you guys. I’m giving you a theme song. I’m like, ‘What can I do to offer back to the culture?’” Rogers told the hosting duo of the inspiration behind the catchy tune in December 2023. “I’m walking around Rockefeller Center, which is just the most majestic place in town. And I was like, ‘RockaFellaCenta.’ I think it just popped into my head. I was like, ‘Let me put this on a full-length album.’”

This year’s Thanksgiving Day Parade marks Kotb’s final parade before leaving the Today show in January 2025. Craig Melvin will succeed her as Savannah Guthrie’s Today coanchor, while the fourth hour will become Today With Jenna & Friends with rotating guest hosts until Kotb’s replacement is picked.

The 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade airs on NBC and Peacock Thursday, November 28, at 8:30 a.m. ET, followed by an encore presentation at 2 p.m. ET.