Kathie Lee Gifford and her best “Today” buddy, Hoda Kotb, were determined not to turn on the emotional waterworks this final Wednesday, April 3, on duty for the host. They started off by showing KLG at her best, with Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” Tuesday, complete with a dancing introduction and a masterful dip. Kathie Lee confessed that she whispered, “I think I broke something,” in Fallon’s ear afterward, but as always, she does what it takes to pull off a great TV moment.Still giving credit to comedian Chuck Nice for his sincere and scriptural toast to her on Tuesday, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb had a little fun with their stage assistant, Jerry, who gets paid extra for the times he comes out on camera.

Instead of the customary tissue box descending from above, the dutiful designee came to present a golden-plated tissue box to Kathie Lee, which was embellished with “ka-ching” on the side, celebrating both his and Gifford’s on-camera credits. Kotb reminded that he still has two more days to bring things out to the ladies. He joked that “it pays for college,” before returning to the side stage.

Good food and early greetings from her Nashville friends filled the morning, which was crowned gloriously by a truly surprise visit from Christian artist, Nicole C Mullen, who arrived just to sing an abbreviated version of “The God Who Sees” from the “Today” stage.

Favorite cuisine and country hellos

Sweet things were already filling the morning even before chef Curtis Stone delivered her favorite banana caramel pie to Kathie Lee Gifford, via the magic of television.

The newlywed songstress, Meghan Trainor, arranged her own special delivery to both ladies of the morning duo. Two precious look-alike plush bears, dressed in pink T-shirts with drawings of KLG and Hoda, along with Trainor, who wrote their 10th-anniversary theme song, sang with a squeeze of their paws. It was a cuteness overload, and Kathie Lee Gifford said that she couldn't wait to give hers to her grandchild, adding “No pressure, kids!”

The cooking went Live as Gifford’s favorite chef’s prepared scrumptious dishes, from a crab salad to a baked zucchini and eggplant dish that has become a standard Fresco by Scotto in NYC ever since Kathie Lee's suggestion.

Sunny Anderson praised Kathie Lee Gifford for proving “the best second act” in life and then creating a luscious orange key lime pie.

A full parade of Country Music stars sang and slung their heartfelt words of welcome to Kathie Lee Gifford. John Rich of Big & Rich sang his own original song to the vibrant Gifford, even extending an invitation for “some of my whiskey.” Blake Shelton playfully suggested that if her new ventures in music and movie production didn’t work, there was always the possibility of reality TV, which worked out for him.

Kathie Lee is already close friends with Reba McEntire, and more friends like Trisha Yearwood, Brett Eldredge, Dierks Bentley, and Little Big Town invited the newcomer to town, Kathie Lee Gifford, for “biscuits and wine.”

Genuine surprise and a song of glory

Kathie Lee Gifford has been aglow with the satisfaction of becoming a first-time director for her orchestral music and film project, “The God Who Sees” in collaboration with Nicole C Mullen, whose powerful and personal gospel and contemporary anthems, like “My Redeemer Lives,” have become embedded within hearts of faith.

When Hoda Kotb announced that there was one last surprise for the morning, no one, and especially not Kathie Lee Gifford, expected Nicole C Mullen to walk out on stage.

Their embrace was emotional, showing more joy than tears, before Mullen came to the microphone to perform “The God Who Sees.” The song traces the presence and holy esteem for women through Scripture, from the Egyptian slave, Hagar, arranged to bear a child for Abraham by his wife, to the love story of Ruth, to the constant presence of Mary Magdalene through the ministry of Christ. It captures the sense that no one is a “nobody” in God's eyes.

As expected, the performance was flawless and embodied the full feeling of the song in its live debut. Gifford gushed that “You're going to go all over the world with this song” to Mullen following the performance. The full-length version of “The God Who Sees” is almost 12 minutes long, and is digitally available on all platforms.

There are just two more days remaining in KLG's "Queen's Jubilee" and more surprises are sure to come.
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