Editor's note: “The At-Home Variety Show” is produced by Peacock, which is part of our parent company, NBCUniversal.
We rely on them, we appreciate them and we applaud them regularly, but how can we truly show our health care heroes just how much they mean to us?
Well, in the case of one ER nurse from New York’s Lennox Hill Hospital, TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb came up with a creative way to say thanks — with a surprise video visit with someone this hero looks up to!
Savannah and Hoda had a chat with nurse Cassidy Toben for “The At-Home Variety Show,” which streams on YouTube. And after they learned about Toben’s positivity in the face of the challenges and grim realities hospital workers across the globe are currently confronting, they mentioned that they heard she idolized singer-actress Jennifer Lopez.
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“Hoda actually knows her and knows her phone number,” Savannah said.
Hoda picked up her phone and added, “Wait! Cass, would this be crazy? Do you think we should just see if she can pop up for us?”
Then Hoda mimed dialing her A-list pal, who was already waiting for the chance to salute Toben herself.
“We are so grateful for everything that you do,” Lopez said. “Thank you so much!”
The gratitude was mutual, as Toben explained.
“The last time I went out and had any kind of socialization was the Super Bowl, something that’s such a thing in our culture, that we look forward to every year,” she raved about the game that featured Lopez’s unforgettable halftime performance. “To think that was only a few months ago — and we were all celebrating something together as a country. And now here we are. So, thank you for that! It’s really inspirational.”
The “Dinero” singer told her that she wants Toben to come and celebrate with her again, as soon as she's able to put on her first post-pandemic performance.
“Bring a bunch of your girlfriends, and we’ll have a good time,” J.Lo insisted.
In fact, it sounds like such a good time, Savannah and Hoda said they want in on it, too!