Hoda Kotb Says She ‘Blacked Out’ While Taking Epic Tom Cruise Olympics Pic (Exclusive)

Hoda Kotb is explaining how she got her epic photo with Tom Cruise at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

Chatting with ET’s Rachel Smith in honor of her 60th birthday celebration, the Today anchor detailed the story of the picture in which she wears a rain poncho and grins ear to ear while standing next to the Mission Impossible star, 62. The photo was taken during the opening ceremony at the summer games in France and Kotb’s co-anchor, Savannah Guthrie — who chatted with ET alongside Kotb — gave her co-worker all the credit for the incredible picture. 

“The poncho, soaking wet Tom Cruise shot was the shot of the Olympics,” said Guthrie. “If there was a gold medal for getting the shot.”

Kotb, who said instinct took over and she just made a beeline for Cruise, added, “It was so crazy, we were all together and 10 seconds later, I didn’t know what happened, I blacked out and then I had a picture.”

“We were like, ‘Where’d Hoda go?’ and then she came back and was like, ‘I got the shot,'” Guthrie elaborated. 

At the time, Kotb posted the photo to her Instagram and surprised her fans with the incredible selfie where she and Cruise both smile directly to the camera while standing in the pouring rain of Paris. The anchor called it a dream come true to meet the legendary actor. 

“Do you know when you dream of meeting Tom Cruise… And then it finally happens,” the TV host captioned the photo. In the comments, her co-workers, Al Roker and Jenna Bush Hager, even sounded off with their shock at the selfie. 

“Wow,” Roker, 69, wrote. 

“In your dream were you wearing a poncho?” Hager, 42, responded. 

It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for the anchor who sweetly shared a video from her reunion with her daughters after being abroad for the Olympics and also celebrated her 60th birthday on Friday with her friends and family. 

As for how she is feeling as she enters this new decade of her life, Kotb tells ET that she is going into it with a clear head and heart. She says that while she wasn’t sure what to expect initially, she is finding things to be delightful as of now. 

“I feel like I’m blooming, I feel like I’m repotting,” she shared. “It feels like something new is happening with me and I didn’t know what 60 was gonna feel like.”

She continued, “It’s not your mom’s 60, it’s not your grandma’s 60, it’s a whole different world and I feel energized and alive and excited for this decade.”

For more coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, check out the links below. 

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