Hoda Kotb’s mom crew got a little rebranding.
The former “Today” co-host and a group of her pals celebrated the launch of her wellness app, Joy 101, at Pier 59 in New York on Wednesday night.
The group, which has made appearances on “Today,” introduced themselves to author and TV personality Bevy Smith as Kotb’s “mom friend group” at the party, with one adding: “That’s such a lame name.”
Smith, who has a long history in the fashion biz, suggested the racy acronym “MFers” instead, which, she explained, is a spin on the initials of “mom friends.”
They loved it, we’re told.
Kotb’s “Today” show crew including Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, Jenna Bush-Hager, Dylan Dreyer, and her replacement Craig Melvin were all there to fete her on her new wellness venture. Pals Gayle King, Lucy Liu, and, Rosanna Scotto, and Andy Cohen also turned out to congratulate her.
Kotb looked radiant in a gold gown as she posed for pictures with her broadcasting pals on the red carpet.
“Today” viewers have been aware for some time that the TV veteran’s youngest daughter, Hope, has been battling an illness. But Kotb only recently explained exactly what illness she has.
At the bash Kotb told “Extra” why she decided to reveal the diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes.
“I was posting a couple of pictures of Hope — I don’t do it often, but I did — and I noticed her Dexcom and her Omnipod, which are devices that kids with diabetes have, were very prominent, and I just didn’t say anything about it, put it out there,” she said. When followers asked if the tot has diabetes, Kotb hesitated to respond because the information felt private. ” And then people were asking me, ‘Well, does she have diabetes?’ and I was thinking to myself, ‘Well, that’s kind of her thing. It’s our thing,’ “But then I thought to myself, like, ‘A lot of kids have this’,” she said.
“I felt like it’s part of her but not all of her, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of or worried about,” she said, “In school when kids ask her, ‘What is that, Hope?,’ she goes, ‘Oh, it’s my diabetes thing. Anyway, you wanna swing?’ And I took a page from her. I’m like, ‘That’s right — that’s how you do it’.”
As for her new app, Kotb told “Extra,” “There’s so much wellness out there it’s like, why would you make something else? I thought that, too, but… I wanted something personalized, so this would be personalized for you. You’d put in your name, your age, what you’re looking for, the way you learn best — all these different things would be in — and it will give you your own curated program.”
Kotb’s big night ended with her doing a duet of “Fight Song” with Rachel Platten.
The post Hoda Kotb’s mom friend group rebranded as ‘MFers’ at the launch party for her Joy 101 app appeared first on Page Six.
