Hoda Kotb is recalling how impressed she was the first time she met a teenage Taylor Swift.
The co-anchor opened up about the experience June 24 on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, revealing that she first crossed paths with the future pop superstar when she spoke to her for a “Dateline” episode just before one of Swift’s “first concerts.”
“I won’t forget it,” Hoda recalled to guest co-host Sheinelle Jones, explaining that despite the fact that Swift was early into her music career, she already knew exactly how she wanted things.
In fact, when she examined her concert stage with Hoda by her side, Swift spoke up to ask crew members for an additional stage light.
“(Swift) was just like a teenager and we were walking around on the set …. and she goes, ‘Ah, excuse me, guys? Guys? Excuse me.’ And they go, ‘Yeah?’ They’re are all these guys working. And she goes, ‘I need a kick light here,'” Hoda said, imitating Swift pointing to the stage.
“And I looked at this girl and I thought to myself: polite and in charge. Both things,” said Hoda, adding, “She knows what she wants. She is who she is. And don’t you love that about her?”
“I love that story,” Sheinelle responded. “Because you see her onstage and you realize, this girl, she’s been working for years, you know, on her craft.”
Swift is simply someone who “knows what she likes,” said Hoda.
“She trusts herself as opposed to every other voice around her,” Hoda added. Just last year, the co-anchor shared a selfie from one of Swift’s “Eras Tour” concerts.
On June 23, Swift wrapped up three consecutive concerts at London’s Wembley Stadium, where she performed to sell-out crowds. She will return to Wembley for five more concerts in August.
Swift’s star-studded audiences in London have included Prince William and his children, Sir Paul McCartney and actors Cate Blanchett, Hugh Grant, Tom Cruise, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, among dozens of other celebrities.
The “Karma” singer’s boyfriend, NFL star Travis Kelce, also attended all three London shows. Kelce, who was joined by his brother, Jason Kelce, and sister-in-law, Kylie Kelce, even popped onstage to make a fun cameo during the June 23 show.
The three-time Super Bowl winner donned a black suit and top hat to appear alongside several of Swift’s dancers for a pantomimed sketch that showed them getting the singer ready for “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart.”
The athlete, who has previously hosted “Saturday Night Live,” couldn’t help but ham it up during his time onstage, playfully showing off dance moves and also pretending to apply makeup to her face.
The following day, Swift gushed about her boyfriend’s cameo in an Instagram message, writing, “I’m still cracking up/swooning over @killatrav’s Eras Tour debut 🥰.”