"I was at a restaurant with a friend of mine who's a producer, and we were sitting and we go, 'Is that Kathie Lee? Oh my God,' " Kotb, 51, explained at a book event hosted by The Moms Mamarazzi and Secrets Resorts and Spas on Friday. "We were like, 'Hey!' Totally fangirling."
"She showed up, her cleavage was out, she had hair pieces, fake hair, she's in her tight, whatever, and she was awesome, like she killed it," Kotb said. "She's like TNT that shows up, right? Like she just explodes."
The two eventually started co-hosting the Today show's fourth hour in 2008.
During the Q&A portion of the event, Kotb explained her very "real" friendship with Gifford, especially after going through the loss of Gifford's beloved husband, Frank.
"I think the friendship I have with her is so real," she said. "We're really tight and I feel really, really, really, really blessed to be pals with her."
