Hoda Kotb Shares Birthday Tribute to Kathie Lee Gifford with Sweet Shout-Out to Her Late Husband Frank

Hoda Kotb also shared sweet words about Kathie Lee Gifford's late husband, Frank, who shared the same birthday

Photo: Hoda Kotb

Hoda Kotb is wishing Kathie Lee Gifford a happy 67th birthday!

On Sunday, Gifford celebrated her birthday, and close friend Kotb made sure to mark the special occassion with a heartwarming birthday tribute on Instagram.

"[Kathie Lee Gifford] its your bday... and I know you are laughing (in fact I am sure cuz I just hung up with you) .. I miss you..," the Today show host wrote alongside a series of photos of the pair over the years.

Kotb also shared a touching note to Gifford's late husband, Frank Gifford, who shared the same birthday as his spouse. "I am sure frank is in heaven blowing out his candles too xo. ❤️❤️," she added.

Kotb also shared the sweet post on Twitter, to which Gifford replied, "Adore you, HODA MAMA!!"

Earlier in the day, Gifford also shared a Bible verse with her followers, writing, "I will sing unto the LORD, for He has dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 13:6 LORD, I am so grateful for Your faithfulness in all things."

Just last week, Gifford honored Kotb on her 56th birthday with a sweet social media post featuring a photo of the best friends laughing with one another. "Love and blessings to my 'sunshine in a bottle,' @hodakotb!!" she wrote.

Kotb and Gifford hosted the Today show together for 11 years before Gifford chose to step down from the show in April 2019.

While saying goodbye to the show and her colleagues, Gifford gave a special shout-out to Kotb, speaking lovingly about the bond they formed from working together.

"God brought Hoda into my life for all kinds of different reasons," she said on-air at the time. "I was supposed to learn from her. She was supposed to learn from me. We were supposed to share life together."

"I never dreamed that I could get another best type of friend at my age — with already so many people taking up the pie," she added. "And I realized that the heart is not a pie that can be divvied up into just so many slices. The heart expands. It just gets bigger and makes more room for people in it. She just fills such a huge part of my heart now. And always will."

Kotb shared her own sentiments on the pair's friendship and on-air partnership.

"[Kathie Lee Gifford] totally jumped into my life in a way that I had never experienced before," she said at the time. "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. I had it, and it was a feeling I'd never had before — that kind of intensity."