The Today show has had lots of funny moments over the years.
In September 2013, Hoda Kotb stunned the audience — and herself — when she accidentally revealed her phone number on-air.
While on Today with Kathie Lee and Hoda, Kotb tried the new Samsung smartwatch and tried calling the watch on her own phone.
“I wonder if my phone is going to ring … Is it ringing?” Kotb said before the watch started ringing, showing her phone number. “Is that my number?”
“Hoda!!” Kathie Lee Gifford jokingly yelled at her.
Several years later, Jenna Bush Hager accidentally cursed while sharing memories of her longtime friendship with guest host Willie Geist and his wife, Christina Geist.
“Christina goes — I don’t know if you can say this — but he was like, ‘God, [my son] George is acting like an a**hole,” Hager recalled in July 2025. “You can’t say that. You can’t say that.”
Keep scrolling to see more funny Today show live flubs through the years:
Lights Go Out Live On-Air
In May 2012, Ann Curry started interviewing Jane Pauley when all of a sudden, the lights went out in the studio.
“The lights have gone out, but Jane is here this morning and still can tell us what is happening in the dark,” Curry said before Pauly replied, “Absolutely. … Where’s my flashlight?”
At the end of the segment, Curry thanked Pauly for “being such a good sport” and said that they may have “figured out the problem.” The show then cut to Al Roker with two plugs in his hand.
“I wasn’t supposed to do this. Sorry about that. Just kidding,” Roker joked before pretending to be electrically shocked.
Hoda Kotb Accidentally Reveals Her Phone Number
Kotb accidentally revealed her phone number while showing off the new Samsung smartwatch and trying to call the watch via her cellphone. The watch started to ring, which then revealed Kotb’s actual phone number.
“Hoda!!” Gifford jokingly screamed at her following the incident in September 2013.
Bird Flies on Kathie Lee’s Head
During a Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee segment in August 2014, a SeaWorld and Busch Gardens employee brought two birds named Sophie and Ruby on the show.
“Tell you what, I’m going to fly this one off,” the employee said before the bird landed on Gifford’s forearm.
“How do you like that?” Regis said while laughing. “That’s it bird! Stay with her!”
While one bird flew away, the other one came over and landed on Gifford’s head.
“Well, this has been fun,” Gifford said while the bird continued to stay on her head, messing up her hair. “Someone take the bird! Regis take the bird please!”
Regis and Gifford then walked off together and stood by the window.
“Hi everyone! Look at Kathie Lee! You’ll never see this again!” Regis said while waving to the people on the street.
Larry David Attacking Elmo
During a February 2024 appearance on the Today show, David joined Elmo on stage, but as soon as he approached the puppet, he grabbed Elmo’s face and shook him up. David’s attack on the puppet took Savannah Guthrie, Kotb and Craig Melvin by surprise. Following the incident, David began to walk away while Elmo called out to him.
“Mr. Larry, wait! Elmo loved you before! Let’s talk about how you’re feeling!” Elmo said before David yelled back, “Somebody had to do it!”
David later apologized to Elmo, but Guthrie wasn’t having it.
“Elmo, you’re such a sweetheart. Larry, you are not a sweetheart. Have you ever heard that?” she said.
Cher Accidentally Dropping F-Bomb
While on the Today show in November 2024, Cher accidentally said f*** on air while chatting with Kotb about her new book, Cher: The Memoir — Part One. Although she was hesitant to share explicit breakup advice she received from Lucille Ball, Kotb assured Cher that the broadcast would censor it.
“I said, ‘Lucy, I’m calling you because, to my knowledge, there’s never been a [public breakup like mine] except yours.’ And so, she said, ‘F*** him. You’re the one with the talent,’” the singer shared, referring to her 1975 divorce from ex-husband Sonny Bono. (Ball also famously split from her ex-husband and I Love Lucy costar, Desi Arnaz, in 1960.)
After realizing the curse word wasn’t edited out fast enough, Kotb burst into laughter.
“We didn’t have the seven seconds, but we will get it for the next feed,” she said before Cher replied, “Well, you said I could!”
Kotb noted that she should have “bleeped” it out herself.
Richard Gere Flips the Bird at Savannah Guthrie
One day after Cher accidentally dropped the f-bomb on the NBC show, Gere kicked off his interview with Guthrie by flipping her the bird.
“You just did an obscene gesture on this family morning show!” she told Gere. “I’m bleeping you! You know, Cher was on here doing an f-bomb yesterday so I don’t know what’s happening!”
Gere later explained that he was just finishing a scene that NBC cut off from his new espionage thriller, The Agency.
“You didn’t show but that’s what I did in the piece!” Gere told Guthrie. “That’s what the clip was! … It didn’t make any sense without that! My hand did that, I have no control!”
Mispronouncing Timothee Chalamet’s Name
On a December 2024 episode of the Today show, Dylan Dreyer accidentally pronounced Timothée Chalamet’s name wrong, causing her other anchors to make fun of her.
“Close though, close enough. Chamalamdingdong,” Roker joked, while Kotb said, “Chamalama!”
Roker clarified that when someone “makes a mistake,” they can’t just “let it go right by.”
“I didn’t even notice!” Guthrie replied, and Kotb added, “We just let it go right by!”
Jenna Bush Hager Messes Up While Introducing Dwayne Wade
On a March 2025 episode of Today With Jenna & Friends, Bush Hager made a funny mistake while introducing the basketball player.
“Look who’s here! I am so excited,” Bush Hager said.
Wade noted she gets to “do this all the time,” so it’s not much different than her normal routine, to which Bush Hager replied, “I know but I’ve never gotten to do it with an NBA super …”
The host cut herself off when she realized that it sounded “weird.”
“Your wife is here, I didn’t mean it like that!” Bush Hager shared, referring to his wife, Gabrielle Union. “I’ve never gotten to host with someone like you and I’m just so thrilled.”
Wade and Bush Hager both started laughing.
Jenna Bush Hager Accidentally Cursing
During a July 2025 episode of Today With Jenna and Friends, Bush Hager was sharing memories of her friendship with cohost Willie and his wife, Christina — and accidentally said “a**hole.”
“Christina goes — I don’t know if you can say this — but he was like, ‘God, [my son] George is acting like an a**hole,’” Bush Hager recalled. “You can’t say that. You can’t say it.”
After Willie and the producers shared shocking expressions, the talk show host apologized after finding out cuss words aren’t allowed.
“Oh, sorry, sorry. Everybody’s looking at me like, ‘Why did you say that?’” she said before Willie responded, “I’m looking at you like, ‘Why did you say that?’ I’d like to go on the record that my wife never said such a thing about my precious 3-year-old son.”
Willie and Christina, who tied the knot in 2003, share son George and daughter Lucie.
