But she agreed to meet her for lunch.
To her surprise, the pair ended up having a five-hour lunch.
Gifford admitted the restaurant asked them to leave because they had to start their dinner shift.
“We went to the ladies' room,” Gifford recalled.
But I know I can be friends with you for the rest of my life."
However, Gifford had her cake and ate it, too.
While reminiscing, Kotb shared what their fateful meeting was like from her perspective.
“She stepped into it, and I was transfixed by her when we met.
I don’t know if you’ve ever had that chemistry where you connect with someone like that.”
What made their friendship more special and peculiar to Kotb is that the chemistry didn’t fizzle out.
Instead, it maintained its intensity for the entirety of Gifford’s “Today” run.
Additionally, it seems the two managed to stay in touch even during Gifford’s post-broadcast career.
They also reunited at an NFL game in 2024, showing their friendship outlasted their onscreen partnership.
It’s clear they built a friendship to last a lifetime, just as Gifford predicted when they met.
