The Today show hosts really sang this Halloween.
Following in the footsteps of their long-set tradition, the NBC morning show hosts all dressed in a group costume for the holiday this year, transforming into some of the most iconic music artists in history.
Kelly Clarkson introduced the stars one by one, the talk show host pinning their looks as participants in one of her own infamous karaoke segments. “[It’s] the ultimate Kellyoke singalong,” said the American Idol winner, whose Kelly Clarkson Show now tapes next door to Today at 30 Rockefeller Center.
Carson Daly was up first, transforming into Neil Diamond for a performance of his hit “Sweet Caroline.” Craig Melvin came next, dancing in parachute pants as MC Hammer to the rapper’s 1990 hit “U Can’t Touch This.”
Dylan Dreyer looked unrecognizable as Pink, dancing to the Grammy winner’s hit, “Raise Your Glass.” And in what might be the most meta costume of all, Willie Geist dressed up as Harry Styles in the exact ensemble the “As It Was” singer wore when he performed on the Today Plaza in the summer.
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The next two looks were couples costumes. Weekend Today anchors Laura Jarrett and Peter Alexander dressed as lovebirds Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton. Their look, showcased as they performed Stefani and Shelton’s “Happy Anywhere,” even got the stamp of approval by Shelton himself, who later sent in a video praising the pair.
“You guys did great, sounded great, looked great,” he said. “Happy Halloween!”
And then there was Today with Hoda and Jenna pair Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb, who became ’70s icons Sonny and Cher right before viewers’ eyes.
The two embraced and made goofy faces while performing Sonny and Cher’s hit, “I Got You, Babe.”
Weatherman Al Roker danced on the ceiling as Lionel Richie next, before his Today 3rd Hour co-host Sheinelle Jones showed up as Diana Ross for a take of “I’m Coming Out.”
The whole segment ended with Savannah Guthrie impersonating Taylor Swift for a performance of “Cruel Summer.” The co-anchor even pulled a “fan” out from the audience which turned out to be none other than her 9-year-old daughter, Vale.
Soon the entire parade of stars joined the pair on the stage. “That was epic, so much fun,” Kotb said afterwards.
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The theme is a complete turnaround from last year, when the cast donned their best Sin City costumes as Las Vegas showstoppers — and even embodied them in special performances.
Geist stepped into the shoes of the “King of Rock and Roll,” Elvis Presley, with thick sideburns and a white sparkly jumpsuit as he struck several infamous Elvis poses during the show. Meanwhile, Roker went for a legendary member of the famed Rat Pack, Sammy Davis Jr. with a flared collar and Davis’ signature wide-framed glasses.
Some hosts even opted to transform themselves into more recent acts, including Bush Hager who dressed up as Celine Dion. She even belted out Dion’s 1996 hit “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” telling the audience, “That was my voice. I’m sure I teased some people because I sounded just like Celine.”
Kotb and Guthrie chose more eclectic choices for their costumes — Cirque du Soleil performers — and the pair even got to show off their acrobatic moves on some hanging rings.
The year before that the Today show team took on costumes inspired by the NFL Super Bowl, with the team embodying some of the most influential NFL stars including Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Patrick Mahomes. Roker and Sheinelle Jones even dressed up as Super Bowl performers The Weeknd and Bruno Mars, respectively.
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Dressing in costumes for Halloween has been a yearly tradition on the Today show desk, with the hosts each outdoing each other with their own costumes and performances. While it may take a lot of work and practice, as Kotb noted after her performance with the Cirque De Soleil last year, the hosts often have “so much fun” prepping and carrying out their performances for Halloween week.
Today airs live daily on NBC (check your local listings) and on the Today app.