Kathie Lee Gifford Praises Jenna Bush Hager as She Prepares to Fill Her Vacant ‘Today’ Seat: ‘You Are a Gift’

Now that we know that it’s going to be Jenna Bush Hager that takes over Kathie Lee Gifford‘s seat when she departs in April, everyone is sending kind words to the former, especially the TV icon herself.

Jenna, 37, shared lovely words about Kathie Lee, 65, saying she’s been “such a role model and so generous with your time” and “You are beloved here in so many ways and if I can use some of your grace and have a half of what you’ve done, my life will be a very happy one. The Daytime Emmy winner then had nothing but praise for her replacement.

“This day is about you,” Kathie Lee reminded Jenna, then recalled the time Jenna filled in for Hoda Kotb, 54, during the 2018 Winter Olympics. “Those two weeks, I saw you blossom,” she said. “You started to trust your instincts, you started to believe in yourself. That you are not only a presence and a gift but you earned it.” She continued, “You earned the right to sit and be something to all these wonderful people that watch us everyday. When you stopped caring what people think, that’s when the magic happened.”

The TV personality added, “You keep trusting your instincts. And you’re going to sit next to the best person in the world. She has your back because she has your heart. It’s going to be fun. You guys are going to have a ball. I’m going to tune in whenever I can.” Well if this is how it feels when Kathie Lee’s replacement is introduced, we can’t even imagine how emotional it’s going to be when she exits Today.

It’s been quite a day for celebration for George W. Bush‘s daughter. In fact, the former president even had a message for Jenna. “He said, ‘Very proud dad.'” she revealed her father said. “Which I’m like, what is there to be proud about? I’m just drinking wine in the morning!” she joked.