When it comes to Halloween costumes, the Today show cast never disappoints.
For decades, anchors on the NBC morning show have gone all out with thematic group costumes, dating back to the 1990s when Katie Couric, Al Roker, Ann Curry and Matt Lauer first started going with pop culture references — hair, makeup and all.
In the years since, the crew — now led by Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie — picks topical moments, whether it’s the British royal family or what happens in Vegas.
As the Today crew churns out yet another great group costume in 2024, take a look back on some of the best.
Today Show Halloween Costumes in 1997
In the early days of Today‘s Halloween celebrations, the staff’s costumes were a bit more ‘eh’ than ‘awesome.’ For Halloween 1997, the gang went DIY: Katie Couric got all dolled up as screen legend Mae West, Al Roker and Matt Lauer went as Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble and Ann Curry channeled her inner Cleopatra.
Today Show Halloween Costumes in 2005
Marilyn Monroe – er, Couric – posed between Batman (Lauer) and Robin (Roker) the year Batman Begins hit theaters.
Today Show Halloween Costumes in 2006
It was girls vs. guys in 2006 as the divas — Cher (Curry), Bette Midler (Meredith Vieira) and Madonna (Natalie Morales) — faced off against Lauer’s Captain Jack Sparrow and Roker’s Davy Jones of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Today Show Halloween Costumes in 2007
The cast paid homage to TV’s most spooktacular family, The Munsters, in 2007: Lauer and Vieira were Herman and Lily Munster, Roker was Grandpa, Morales was son Eddie and Hoda Kotb was their “normal” niece, Marilyn. Contributor Tiki Barber went wild as the fictional family’s pet, Spot.
Today Show Halloween Costumes in 2008
“Fairytales” was the theme in 2007. Vieira, Lauer, Curry and Roker dressed up as Pinocchio, Humpty Dumpty, Cinderella and the Gingerbread Man, respectively. Kathie Lee Gifford, Kotb and Amy Robach also got in on the fun, donning the Big Bad Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel costumes. We just hope everyone had a happily ever after!
Today Show Halloween Costumes in 2009
The Force was with the Today show cast and their costume department in 2009 when Lauer dressed as Luke Skywalker, Roker as Han Solo, Vieira as Princess Leia, Curry as Darth Vader, Kotb as Yoda, Gifford as C-3PO and Morales as Queen Padmé Amidala.
Today Show Halloween Costumes in 2010
Close pals Gifford and Kotb paid homage to TV’s original best friends —Lucy and Ethel — and I Love Lucy‘s memorable grape-stomping scene.
Today Show Halloween Costumes in 2013
Playing legendary TV stars paid off for the Today crew when Carson Daly imitated CHiPs cop Erik Estrada and Lauer dressed as Baywatch‘s Carmen Electra on the morning show. Rounding out the cast of small-screen favorites: Roker as Mr. T, Gifford and Kotb as Wilma Flintstone and Betty Rubble, Morales and Guthrie as Laverne and Shirley and Willie Geist as Baywatch‘s Mitch Buchannon (a.k.a. The Hoff).
Today Show Halloween Costumes in 2015
Good grief! In honor of The Peanuts Movie‘s release, the team dressed up as all the fan favorites, with Lauer as Lucy and Roker as Charlie Brown. Once again, Vieira made a surprise return (as Pig-Pen!), and the gang did a cute dance to the hummable theme, “Linus and Lucy.”
Today Show Halloween Costumes in 2018
Today went totally ’80s for Halloween 2018, with the entire crew dressing up as movie characters like Doc (Roker) and Marty McFly (Dylan Dreyer) from Back to the Future as well as Ferris Bueller (Geist), plus music stars like Cyndi Lauper (Guthrie) and Madonna (Gifford). Coincidentally, Good Morning America had the same idea, with the staff of both morning shows dressing up as beloved TV characters.
Today Show Halloween Costumes in 2020
With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping theaters closed, the Today cast brought Broadway to viewers with their epic stage costumes. Dreyer and Jones dressed as Chicago‘s Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, Melvin and Roker were Hamilton‘s Alexander Hamilton and King George and Hager portrayed Grizabella from Cats. Kotb and Guthrie also united as beloved characters Glinda and Elphaba from Wicked.
Today Show Halloween Costumes in 2021
Ahead of Halloween 2021, the Today show hosts embraced the holiday spirit with a group costume inspired by NFL players and Super Bowl performers. Kotb stepped out as Carrie Underwood, lip-syncing the lyrics of the Sunday Night Football theme song.
Geist and Daly dressed up as Tampa Bay Buccaneers duo Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, wearing a handful of real Super Bowl rings. Melvin appeared as Patrick Mahomes, with a video included of a young fan cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback.
The NFL theme continued with Roker dressed as The Weeknd. The weatherman mimicked the singer’s halftime show performance from Super Bowl LV. Jones went a similar route with her Bruno Mars’ inspired costume as she emulated his Super Bowl XLVIII headlining act. Guthrie and Hager wrapped up the segment as Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and performed a brief routine alongside members of the famed dance crew.
Today Show Halloween Costumes in 2023
The Today show gang hit all the high notes with their 2023 costumes. The NBC morning show hosts kept their tradition and dressed in a group costume for the holiday this year, transforming into some of the most iconic music artists in history.
Kelly Clarkson — who now tapes her show next door to Today at 30 Rockefeller Center — had the honor of introducing each superstar. Carson Daly was first, paying homage to the music legend that is Neil Diamond with a performance of his hit “Sweet Caroline.” Craig Melvin came next, dancing in parachute pants as MC Hammer to the rapper’s 1990 hit “U Can’t Touch This.”
Next up was Dylan Dreyer who looked unrecognizable as Pink, dancing to the Grammy winner’s hit, “Raise Your Glass.” And in what might be the most meta costume of all, Willie Geist dressed up as Harry Styles in the exact ensemble the “As It Was” singer wore when he performed on the Today Plaza in the summer.
Weekend Today anchors Laura Jarrett and Peter Alexander also joined in on the fun as they dressed as lovebirds Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton. They tied the entire charade with a performance of Stefani and Shelton’s “Happy Anywhere.”
Today with Hoda and Jenna pair Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb also didn’t disappoint. The ladies dressed up as ’70s icons Sonny and Cher right before viewers’ eyes. The two embraced and made goofy faces while performing Sonny and Cher’s classic hit, “I Got You, Babe.”
Weatherman Al Roker danced on the ceiling as Lionel Richie next, before his Today 3rd Hour co-host Sheinelle Jones showed up as Diana Ross for a take of “I’m Coming Out.”
The festive segment wrapped with Savannah Guthrie impersonating Taylor Swift for a performance of “Cruel Summer.” The co-anchor even pulled a “fan” out from the audience which turned out to be none other than her 9-year-old daughter, Vale.
Today Show Halloween Costumes in 2024
The Today Show crew paid homage to some cinematic classics with their costumes for 2024. The gang once again did a group theme, and dressed up as movie characters from various classics.
Peter Alexander gave an ode to Robin Williams as he came dressed as Mrs. Doubtfire, in the character’s signature hairstyle, reading glasses and dowdy attire.
Laura Jarrett took us back to 2000 as she came dressed in her Clovers cheerleading outfit, a nod to Gabrielle Union in Bring It On.
Willie Geist kept it a little closer to home, paying homage to fictional newscaster Ron Burgundy from Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
Next up were Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush who came dressed as Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater from Titanic. (The pair even recreated one of the film’s classic scenes!)
Savannah Guthrie took us to Harvard as she channeled the spunky Elle Woods, and she had the best possible spooky surprise: Luke WIlson made an appearance as his character (and Elle’s love interest), Emmett.
Al Roker and Dylan Dreyer were a match made in Winter River as they dressed up as Lydia and Betelgeuse from Beetlejuice.
Craig Melvin tipped his hat off to comedy legend Eddie Murphy as he dressed up as Axel Foley from Beverly Hills Cop.
Last but certainly not least, Sheinelle Jones and Carson Daly were almost unrecognizable disguised as Foxy Cleopatra and Austin Powers from Austin Powers in Goldmember.
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