Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Hoda Kotb Says She 'Blacked Out' While Taking Hilarious Photo With Tom Cruise At The Olympics

Hoda Kotb; Tom Cruise
Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOPC; Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures

The 'TODAY' cohost told 'Entertainment Tonight' about how she managed to get a photo with the 'Mission: Impossible' star after the rain-soaked opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Hoda Kotb said she "blacked out" while taking the viral selfie of her and Tom Cruise standing in the rain at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

On July 26, the TODAY cohost posted the photo to Instagram showing herself wrapped up in a poncho beside a rain-soaked Cruise.


She wrote in the caption:

"Do you know when you dream of meeting Tom Cruise… And then it finally happens."

Of course, the photo was a viral sensation, with even her cohosts getting in on the fun.

Al Roker simply commented:

"Wow"

@hodakotb/Instagram

And Jenna Bush Hager wrote:

"In your dream were you wearing a poncho?"

@hodakotb/Instagram

Kotb told Entertainment Tonight's Rachel Smith that she actually "blacked out" while taking the epic photo.

Her co-anchor Savannah Guthrie gave her all the props:

"The poncho, soaking wet Tom Cruise shot was the shot of the Olympics."
"If there was a gold medal for getting the shot."

Kotb responded by revealing she made a beeline for Cruise but doesn't have much recollection after that.

"It was so crazy, we were all together and 10 seconds later, I didn’t know what happened, I blacked out and then I had a picture."

Guthrie added:

"We were like, 'Where'd Hoda go?' and then she came back and was like, 'I got the shot.'"

While talking about the encounter on TODAY, Guthrie said it was "a moment that none of us will forget," while reliving the scene yet again.

Kotb also acknowledged that Cruise was incredibly friendly with everyone.

You can watch below.

- YouTubeyoutu.be

People on social media learning of Kotb's starstruck reaction didn't blame her at all.

Entertainment Tonight/Facebook

Entertainment Tonight/Facebook

Entertainment Tonight/Facebook

And many agreed she "got the shot."








Kotb turned 60 on August 9, and upon her return from Paris was greeted with a massive TODAY show celebration.

Happy birthday, Hoda. It looks like your birthday wish already came true!

More from Entertainment/celebrities

Audra McDonald
@audramcdonald/Instagram

Audra McDonald Speaks Out After Autograph-Seeking Fan Followed Her Home—And People Are Horrified

Broadway legend and recent star of Gypsy Audra McDonald unfortunately finished the show's run on a sour note, as she informed fans on her Instagram.

The Tony-winning actor and singer, 55, started by explaining that the "stage door" practice, where Broadway actors exit through a side door of the theater to greet fans and sign autographs, is common but not expected or required. Some actors love to do it, others would rather not, and she stressed that there are countless reasons an actor might choose not to on any given night.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from Victor Nieves' videos
@notvictornieves/TikTok; @goodtrouble/TikTok

MAGA TikToker Gets Brutally Dragged After Tired 'Slippery Slope' Rant About Gay Marriage

The moment many LGBTQ+ people have warned about seems to be dawning as Kim Davis, the infamous Kentucky clerk who went to jail over refusing to process same-sex marriages, has resurfaced.

Now out of jail, Davis is asking the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v Hodges, the case that granted the right to same-sex marriage in 2015 and the violation of which landed Davis in jail.

Keep ReadingShow less
Riley Gaines
Ivan Apfel/Getty Images

Riley Gaines Blasted After Calling Trump Critics 'Domestic Terrorists' In Unhinged Tweet

Fading MAGA darling Riley Gaines found herself facing irrelevance like all the blond "it girls" before her that were once embraced then discarded by MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's followers, like Ann Coulter, Megyn Kelly, Kellyanne Conway, Tomi Lahren, and Kaitlin Bennett.

If that last name made you say, "Who‽," then you know what Gaines is facing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jinkx Monsoon
Good Morning America/YouTube

Trans Actor Jinkx Monsoon Expertly Shades MAGA Lawmakers Who Are Trying To 'Rewrite History'

In a very timely off-the-cuff response, Broadway performer Jinkx Monsoon called out MAGA GOP lawmakers and Republican President Donald Trump for their attempts to whitewash history.

Speaking to Good Morning America about her star turn as the lead in Cole Escola’s Tony Award-winning hit Broadway show Oh, Mary!, the hosts proposed a rapid-fire game that they titled "Oh, Jinkx!."

Keep ReadingShow less
Person raising their hands in excitement
Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash

People Who Turned Their Lives Around After Age 35 Share How They Did It

There's this weird pressure in the world to know what you're going to do with your life when you're between 18 and 20, work hard to get it, and then be satisfied with that for the rest of your life. But for many people, they're not in a position to attain their dream life when they're 20 years out.

That said, it's never too late to get a fresh start, even when you're around the middle of your life.

Keep ReadingShow less