THOUGH MY TIME IS ENDING A FRIENDSHIP LIKE OURS IS GOING TO
BE A FOREVER ONE.
>> YES.
>> YES. ♪
♪ ♪
♪ >> I DON’T KNOW WHERE THE 11
YEARS WENT.
YEARS WENT. HONESTLY I DON’T.
>> I CANNOT CANNOT BELIEVE IT’S
BEEN 11 YEARS.
I WAS JUST SITTING IN KATHIE
LEE’S DRESSING ROOM, AND WE WERE
TALKING, AND I WAS LOOKING UP AT
PICTURES OF SHE AND I THAT ARE
ALL OVER HER DRESSING ROOM, AND
I LITERALLY ALMOST STARTED
CRYING.
CRYING. IT WAS LIKE THERE’S ONE WHERE
SHE’S RESTING HER HEAD ON MY
BACK AND I HAVE A BAG AND WE’RE
BOTH LOOKING AT THE CAMERA AND
ALL OF A SUDDEN IT HIT ME
LOOKING AT THAT PHOTO.
I WAS LIKE OH, MY GOD.
WE HAVE LITERALLY BEEN CONNECTED
IN SO MANY WAYS, AND I CAN’T
BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE END OF
OUR PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY.
>> WHAT I LOVE ABOUT HODA SO
MUCH, I MEAN, THERE’S SO MANY
THINGS, BUT HER SENSE OF WONDER.
SHE STILL HAS A CHILDLIKE SENSE
OF WONDER.
OF WONDER. I’VE LIVED A LOT LONGER THAN SHE
HAS, AND I’VE BEEN THROUGH SOME
THINGS THAT I WOULDN’T WISH ON
ANYBODY, BUT SHE’S BEEN THROUGH
SOME THINGS THAT I’VE NOT BEEN
THROUGH EITHER.
THROUGH EITHER. WE SHARE LIFE TOGETHER, AND I
THINK IT WOULD BE THAT CHILDLIKE
SENSE OF WONDER THAT SHE
PROTECTS, SHE PROTECT, AND I
LOVE THAT ABOUT HER.
>> THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE
BIGGER THAN LIFE.
THEY ARE JUST BIG ARE
PERSONALITIES.
PERSONALITIES. THEY COME BARRELING THROUGH THE
DOOR.
DOOR. THEY WRAP THEIR ARMS AROUND YOU
WITH LIKE A BAND, AND THERE ARE
LIKE THOSE PEOPLE AND THERE ARE
SO FEW.
SO FEW. AND SHOW TOTALLY JUMPED IN MY
LIFE IN A WAY THAT I HAD NEVER
EXPERIENCED BEFORE.
EXPERIENCED BEFORE. I WAS TRANSFIXED BY HER WHEN I
FIRST MET HER, AND SHE SAID I
FEEL LIKE WE’LL HAVE FRIENDS AND
I DON’T KNOW IF YOU’VE EVER HAD
THAT CHEMISTRY WHERE YOU CONNECT
WITH SOMEBODY LIKE THAT, AND I
HAD IT, AND I DIDN’T REALIZE
WHAT IT MEANT.
SOMETIMES THINGS THAT ARE THAT
INTENSE CAN’T LAST, BUT THIS
DID.
DID. LIKE IT’S AMAZING.
>> I NEVER DREAMED THAT I COULD
GET LIKE ANOTHER BESTEST TIME OF
FRIEND AT MY AGE AND WITH
ALREADY SO MANY PEOPLE TAKING UP
THE PIE, AND I REALIZED THE
HEART IS NOT A PIE THAT CAN BE
DIVVIED UP INTO JUST SO MANY
SLICES.
SLICES. THE HEART EXPANDS.
IT JUST GETS BIGGER AND MAKES
MORE ROOM FOR PEOPLE IN IT, AND
SHE JUST FILLS SUCH A HUGE PART
OF MY HEART NOW AND ALWAYS WILL.
>> I DIDN’T KNOW THAT AT A
CERTAIN TIME IN YOUR LIFE, LATER
IN LIFE, YOU COULD MAKE LIFELONG
FRIENDS.
FRIENDS. I JUST DIDN’T YOU COULD.
I THOUGHT YOU MADE ALL YOUR
LIFELONG FRIENDS A WHILE AGO,
BUT TO BE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE
THAT AGAIN AT THIS STAGE OF MY
LIFE IS AMAZING.
>> THIS HAS BEEN THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT PERIOD OF MY LIFE I
THINK.
THINK. I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL MY LATE 40s
AND 50s TO LIVE THE BEST PART OF
MY LIFE, AND SHE’S A HUGE REASON
THAT EVERYTHING STARTED GOING
RIGHT.
RIGHT. I FEEL LIKE GOOD THINGS ARE
HAPPENING AND I DON’T KNOW IF
IT’S HER OR THE KARMA OR BEING
AROUND IT, AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT
IT IS, BUT I FEEL LIKE THAT
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. I GOT TO DO SOMETHING THAT ONLY
A COUPLE OF PEOPLE ON EARTH GET
TO DO.
TO DO. I GOT TO SIT NEXT TO KATHIE LEE
GIFFORD.
GIFFORD. >> I HOPE SHE KNOWS HOW MUCH I
LOVE HER.
LOVE HER. WHEN I LOVE, I LOVE WITH MY
ENTIRE BEING, AS LONG AS I’M
HERE WITH A PULSE.
THAT’S HOW I LOVE, AND I -- AND
IT HURTS, THAT KIND OF LOVE
HURTS, BUT I CAN’T IMAGINE
LIVING ONE MOMENT OF LIFE
WITHOUT IT.
WITHOUT IT. >> I HOPE SHE KNOWS HOW MUCH SHE
MATTERED TO ME, JUST HOW MUCH
SHE MATTERED.
SHE MATTERED. THAT SO MANY THINGS IN MY LIFE
CHANGED BECAUSE OF HER PRESENCE,
AND, I MEAN, LOOK, I DO KNOW GOD
PUT HER IN MY LIFE AT THE RIGHT
TIME.
TIME. I DO.
I DO. HE REALLY DID.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE SHE DOES
BETTER THAN ANYBODY.
SHE GOES FROM LAUGHTER TO TEARS
FASTER THAN ANYBODY, AND IF SHE
WAS HERE RIGHT NOW SHE’D HAVING
ME LAUGHING.
ME LAUGHING. HODA WOMAN, OH, MY GOD, WHAT ARE
YOU DOING?
YOU DOING? I DON’T KNOW, BUT SHE’S HAVING
ME LAUGHING SO KATH, I’M
LAUGHING SOON.
LAUGHING SOON. YEAH.
YEAH. >> YOU KNOW WHAT I WOULD SAY?
>> FIRE TRUCK!
TO MAKE YOU LAUGH.