‘Today’ Show Halloween Costumes Through the Years
Fact: Nobody does Halloween like the Today show does Halloween. Every year, Today‘s Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, and the rest of the gang bring their costume A-game for the morning show’s annual “Halloween on the Plaza” special. Whether it’s going all out with the ’90s throwbacks or getting decked out in Star Wars attire and special effects makeup (Hoda made the perfect Yoda back in 2009), the Today show cast is always on point come every October 31.
Scroll through the very best Today show costumes from years past. You’ll soon discover that it’s nearly impossible to pick a favorite year.
2020: Best of Broadway
There’s no business like show business! This year, the Today show cast paid tribute to some of Broadway’s most iconic characters, including Chicago‘s Velma Kelly (Sheinelle Jones) and Roxie Hart (Dylan Dreyer), Hamilton‘s Alexander Hamilton (Craig Melvin) and King George (Al Roker), Grizabella from Cats (Jenna Bush Hager), and, of course, Elphaba (Savannah Guthrie) and Glinda (Hoda Kotb) from Wicked. Announcing each costume was Carson Daly.
2019: Everybody Dance!
Last year was all about the most iconic dances in pop culture history. Peter Alexander got Footloose as Kevin Bacon from the 1984 dance flick, Sheinelle marched to Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation,” Dylan grooved like Elaine from Seinfeld, Al and Craig teamed up as Will Smith and Carlton Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Hoda got down like Tony from Saturday Night Fever, and, finally, Savannah and Carson strutted around Rockefeller Plaza as Sandy and Danny from Grease. What a team!
2018: All About the ’80s
Savannah just wanted to have fun and she most certainly did as ’80s icon Cyndi Lauper. Meanwhile, Hoda went crazy with the rhinestones for her all-white Elton John costume. Last but not least, there’s Carson Daly, who paid tribute to the one and only Bruce Springsteen.
2017: The Year ‘Today’ Went Country, Y’all
To honor some of the very best country artists out there (and to promote NBC’s The Voice), the Today crew went for it with cowboy hats, guitars, fake mustaches, and more. Hoda was Blake Shelton (her crush), while Kathie Lee Gifford went as Miley Cyrus.
2017
Al broke out the six-string and Willie Nelson’s iconic braids to mimic the “Always on My Mind” singer’s legendary look.
2016: The ’90s were BACK!
It was a full-on celebration of the decade that brought us slip dresses, Forrest Gump, and boy bands galore. From left to right, Savannah copied Demi Moore’s legendary 1992 Vanity Fair (er, “Savanity Fair”) cover, Tamon Hall and Willie Geist were Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega from Pulp Fiction, and Al was the perfect Steve Urkel. For a meta twist, Kathie Lee dressed up as Regis, while Hoda dressed up as KLG pre-Today. And then there was Carson, who came as the Terminator.
RELATED: The Best ’90s Halloween Costumes That You Haven’t Seen
2016
Meanwhile, Jenna showed up to studio 1-A as her grandma, Barbara Bush, who served as First Lady from 1989 to 1993. What’s more, Jenna had the whole plaza doing the Macarena with her as Today introduced her costume.
2016
The ’90s theme continued with Dylan taking on Baby Spice from the Spice Girls and Tamron dressing up as Vivian (Julia Roberts) from Pretty Woman. Oh yeah, and here’s another closeup of Al Urkel.
2015: The Peanuts Take Over the Plaza
Today viewers totally lost it over the morning show gang’s Peanuts costumes in 2015. You had Meredith Vieira dressed up as Pig Pen, Willie as Schroeder, Carson as Linus, Natalie as Marcie, Tamron as Peppermint Patty, Al as Charlie Brown, and Savannah as Sally. Good grief!
2015
Of course, the Peanuts crew would not be complete without Snoopy (Hoda) and Woodstock (Kathie Lee). Yes, that really is KLG under all that yellow! 😂
2014: Live From Rockefeller Plaza, It’s ‘Saturday Night Live’
2014
The year 2014 was all about the mom jeans for Meredith, Savannah, and Jenna. Looks like they all love the “9-inch zipper and casual front pleats!”
2014
It was peppy cheerleader time for Willie and Tamron, as the two mimicked Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri’s well-known skit for the morning show special.
2014
In 2014, Lester Holt and Al joined in on the fun as the Blues Brothers: Jake and Elwood.
2014
Sometimes when Natalie Morales gets nervous, she dresses up as Mary Katherine Gallagher and sticks her hands under her armpits just like Molly Shannon’s character did in Superstar. Of course, Natalie’s costume wouldn’t be complete without Peter playing along as the priest.
2013: TV Shows of Yesteryear
Yaabaa-dabba-doo! For 2013’s classic TV show theme, Hoda and Kathie Lee channeled the modern Stone Age family as BFFs Wilma and Betty. Just check out those Flintstone feet – talk about nailing it!
2013
Besides Wilma and Betty, Al stepped out as Mr. T’s B.A. Baracus from The A-Team. As for Natalie and Savannah, the “classic TV show” theme inspired them to dress up as Laverne and Shirley.
2011: The Royal Wedding
In honor of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s big day, the Today crew had a regal theme in 2011. Savannah played the part of Prince Philip, Al was Prince Harry, Natalie took on Pippa, and Ann Curry stunned as the Duchess of Cambridge. What’s more, the entire Today crew even recreated the nuptials during the show that year. And you thought you were obsessed with the royals!
2011
It wouldn’t be the royal wedding without Queen Elizabeth II herself (a.k.a. Meredith). Speaking of royal relatives, let’s not forget about two other very notable guests from Kate and Will’s important day …
2011
It’s Princess Beatrice (KLG) and Princess Eugenie (Hoda)! The fourth-hour duo donned the princesses’ elaborate hats and bright-colored dresses as part of the recreation of the royal wedding on Today.
2010: It’s a Pop-Culture Party
In 2010, “Halloween on the Plaza” was all about honoring the pop-culture icons of the times, which included Superman (Al), Justin Bieber (Natalie), and former President Barack Obama (Tamron).
2010
Meredith gave Lady Gaga’s little monsters everywhere something to talk about when she stepped out in a pink hoop gown and belted out “Bad Romance.” Now, that’s dedication right there!
2010
Meanwhile, the 2010 theme prompted Hoda and Kathie Lee to go as Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance of I Love Lucy. Getting in on the costume fun, Sara Haines also joined the duo and dressed up as Ricky from the iconic TV show.
2009: ‘Today’ Goes Back to a Galaxy Far, Far Away
2009
Oh, and you can’t forget about Al, who made the perfect Han Solo (fun fact, he’s wearing Harrison Ford’s original blaster, belt, and holster from the Star Wars original trilogy).
2008: A Storybook Halloween
Once upon a time, the Today show cast donned all sorts of fun fairytale outfits as part of their Halloween extravaganza. Among the fairy-tale characters were Pinocchio (Meredith), Cinderella (Ann), the Gingerbread Man (Al), Little Red Riding Hood (Hoda), the Big Bad Wolf (Kathie Lee), and Rapunzel (Amy Robach).
2007: Meet the Munsters of ‘Today’
They did the Munster mash! Inspired by the TV sitcom The Munsters, Hoda went as Marilyn, while Natalie, Meredith, and Tiki Barber channeled their inner Eddie, Lily, and Spot.
2007
Apart from Natalie, Meredith, Hoda, and Tiki, Al got covered in grey face makeup and donned his finest vampire attire as Grandpa Munster.
2006: The Year of the Divas and Pirates
While 2006 didn’t have every co-host following the same theme, the costumes were still undoubtedly amazing. Ann Curry went as Cher, Meredith was Bette Midler, and Natalie struck several poses on the Plaza as Madonna.
2005: Pick-Your-Own Year
Similar to 2006, the year prior didn’t have much of a running theme. With that being said, the ladies of Today (Ann Curry and Katie Couric) both dressed up as iconic beauty legends Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. As for Al, he chose to go as Batman’s trusty sidekick Robin.
2004: Another Pick-Your-Own Year
Well before Sheinelle created her Tina Turner look in 2018, Ann wore her own costume to honor the “Proud Mary” singer. Much like Sheinelle’s costume, Ann’s Tina Turner getup included plenty of glitz and bling.
2004
Way before anyone could imagine Donald Trump becoming president, Katie dressed up as the former reality TV star. The Apprentice had just been released that year on NBC, making her costume choice especially topical.
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