Inside Hoda Kotb’s Long Island Beach Retreat as She Throws Adorable Surprise Party for Beloved Former ‘Today’ Driver
"Today" show alum Hoda Kotb has opened the doors to her Long Island, NY, retreat once again—this time to pull off an adorable birthday surprise for her former driver, Eddie.
The 62-year-old, who owns a beachside vacation property on Long Island, took to Instagram to share a touching video of the celebration for Eddie, who was known for driving Kotb to her 4 a.m. set calls during her 17-year tenure as a "Today" host.
In the sweet clip, Kotb—who stepped down from her role at NBC in January 2025—could be seen crouching behind her large kitchen island as she waited for Eddie to walk through the door.
When he entered, Eddie was greeted by a home decked out for the occasion, complete with colorful streamers, birthday banners, and a homemade cake.
He could be seen grinning from ear to ear as he took in the surprise before greeting Kotb's daughters, Haley and Hope, with a hug.
The heartwarming video ended with Kotb and Eddie sharing an embrace.
"Happy birthday to the best! Eddie! We love you," Kotb captioned the clip.
It seems the TV personality's Long Island sanctuary has become something of a celebratory hub for the family, with Kotb herself receiving a similarly elaborate surprise at the property just weeks earlier.
In August, she offered another glimpse inside the beach house while documenting an early birthday celebration organized by her daughters.
Kotb shared an Instagram video of herself walking through the front door to discover the home transformed with rainbow-colored streamers hanging from the ceiling and colorful balloons scattered throughout the space.
"Oh, my god, what? Wow!" Kotb exclaimed as she pushed through a curtain of multicolored streamers and entered the kitchen, where Haley and Hope had laid out party hats on the countertop.
Clearly taken aback by the thoughtful gesture, Kotb embraced her daughters before stopping to greet the family's dog, Waffles, who could be seen leaping into the air to get her attention.
The girls even made sure to play one of their mom's favorite songs, "Dancing in the Moonlight" by King Harvest, prompting Kotb to sing and dance her way through the home's main living space.
"It was my idea!" Hope, 7, yelled while jumping in the air.
"You guys, this is beautiful," Kotb said while hugging Haley, 9.
As the camera panned the room, it revealed even more of the girls' handiwork, including a "Happy Birthday Mom" banner taped across a window, rose-gold balloons, and dozens of framed photos of Kotb and her loved ones covering the mantel.
The clip concluded with several sweet photos of Kotb and her daughters enjoying a birthday meal together.
"Wow! A couple of days early! Surprise!" the former TV personality—who turned 62 on Aug. 9—wrote in her caption.
The Long Island property is one of two New York homes where Kotb now spends much of her time after leaving "Today" in January 2025 to focus on her life with her daughters.
A few months before her departure from the morning show, Kotb traded Manhattan for the suburbs, moving Haley and Hope into a $2.9 million home in Bronxville.
She now splits her time between the Bronxville property and her longtime Long Island beach house, which has become a regular summer retreat for the family.
Kotb recently opened the doors to her Bronxville home for another family milestone when she reunited with her ex-fiance, Joel Schiffman, to mark Haley and Hope's first day of school.
The former "Today" host documented the occasion on Instagram as Haley and Hope headed off to fourth and second grade, respectively.
Before sending the girls off to school, Kotb posed outside her suburban New York home alongside Schiffman, 68, and their daughters, with the foursome smiling together for a sweet family photo.
The milestone comes nearly two years after Kotb announced in September 2024 that she would be stepping away from "Today," explaining that she wanted to spend more time with her children.
And this isn't the first time Schiffman has joined Kotb and their daughters at her suburban home since the former couple ended their engagement in 2022.
He previously showed up to her New York home for a heartwarming Father's Day celebration.
Kotb, who ended her eight-year relationship with Schiffman in 2022, paid tribute to her former partner in the caption, writing, "Best Father's Day to the best father."
He also previously took a trip to the upstate New York home for a "funday Sunday."
The former couple also spent Father's Day together last year at Kotb's $2.9 million home, which she purchased in April 2024, shortly before she quit the "Today" show.
Although Schiffman and Kotb once lived together in New York City with their kids, the mother of two made the decision in 2024 to move her children to the suburbs to give them more "normality," while it's thought her former partner remained in Manhattan.
However, he made sure to take a break from the honking taxis and towering skyscrapers to make a trip to Bronxville, which is a mere 30-minute drive from Manhattan.
Kotb previously revealed that her move from the city had also been motivated, at least in part, by Hope's Type 1 diabetes diagnosis.