With Halloween falling on a Sunday this year, the hosts of the Today Show dressed up for viewers during their Friday, Oct. 29 show instead. Every year, the hosts of the hit morning show team up for a themed costume, and this year, they honored the fabulous sport of football. The show was called “Football Fright in America,” and the hosts dressed in jerseys for their favorite teams to kick off the celebration in a pre-taped package. Then, they each channeled different facets of football for their individual costumes.
Hoda Kotb As Carrie Underwood
At first glance, Carrie Underwood may not seem like she’s connected to football — but who could forget that she sings the epic Sunday Night Football theme song!? Hoda Kotb channeled the country star in her black and silver dress, along with thigh-high boots, for a performance of the song. She wore a long blonde wig, as well, and danced around on the fake football field to bring major Carrie vibes to the show.
Willie Geist & Carson Daly As Tom Brady & Rob Gronkowski
Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are the ultimate football duo! The guys played together on the New England Patriots for years and are now teammates again on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They even helped lead the Bucs to an epic Super Bowl win in 2021. Willie Geist dressed as Tom for the Halloween celebration, while Carson was Rob. They wore Bucs jerseys and had on championship rings to celebrate all of their victories.
Savannah Guthrie & Jenna Bush Hager As Cowboys’ Cheerleaders
There’s no football without cheerleaders, right?! And there are no more iconic cheerleaders than the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Savannah Guthrie and Jenna Bush Hager got into the cheer uniforms to dress up as the legendary dancers for the Today Halloween celebration. They even learned a routine to perform on the Plaza! Plus, they were joined by actual Cowboys cheerleaders for the performance.
Al Roker As The Weeknd
The Halftime Show is an important part of the Super Bowl, and some of the most memorable Halftime Show performances were honored on the Today Show. Al Roker channeled the 2021 show by dressing as The Weeknd. He lip synced along to one of the singer’s tracks, wearing his signature red suit from the show. Of course, he also had the hair to go along with the costume, as well!
Sheinelle Jones As Bruno Mars
Craig Melvin As Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes is one of this generation’s most well-known football players. He plays for the Kansas City Chiefs and helped lead the team to back to back Super Bowls in 2020 and 2021. Craig Melvin took on the task of honoring Patrick with his Halloween look this year.
The 2021 Halloween show followed a socially-distanced Halloween special in 2020. Last year, the hosts channeled some of the most iconic Broadway characters of all-time for their costumes. Savannah was Elphaba from Wicked, while Hoda was Glinda. The other hosts dressed as characters from shows like Cats, Chicago and Hamilton, as well.
In 2019, we saw the Today hosts honor some legendary dances, like Carlton’s moves on The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, the Dirty Dancing lift and more. That year, Dylan channeled Julia Louis-Dreyfus from Seinfeld, while Jenna was Baby from Dirty Dancing. The 2018 show featured the hosts going all-out in an 80s theme. From famous musicians in the era to characters in movies that came out in the 80s, there were plenty of incredible looks!
The hosts of Today definitely put in the work when it comes to Halloween — but they’re not the only ones! See more talk show host costumes from 2021 in the gallery above.
