“Kevin Costner’s Secret Romance With a Public Figure Has Hollywood Buzzing”
Kevin Costner and Hoda Kotb’s Flirty Friendship Has Fans Buzzing — But Is It Just for Fun?
Kevin Costner’s love life has been making headlines ever since his divorce from Christine Baumgartner in September 2023. Now 71, the Hollywood icon has been loosely linked to several high-profile women—but one of the juiciest stories is his ongoing, very public flirtation with TV personality Hoda Kotb, 60.
Insiders say the playful chemistry might be more about PR than romance. “Hoda and Kevin do the whole flirting thing more as a joke,” a source revealed. “They know it gets everyone talking, and they think it’s hilarious. Neither of them is actually trying to take it beyond friendship.”
Kotb herself has leaned into the narrative with a wink. At February’s Runway for Recovery fashion show in New York City, she joked about their frequent run-ins. “Isn’t it sort of weird that he always ends up where I am?” she said. “I’m just living my life, and there he is. When is it not a coincidence anymore?”
Their Super Bowl meetup added fuel to the fire, with Costner appearing in Kotb’s Instagram photo carousel, arm around her shoulder, both grinning from ear to ear. Former Today co-host Savannah Guthrie even commented, “New couple alert!”
Fans started shipping them heavily after Costner stopped by the Today show in June 2024 to promote Horizon: An American Saga. Co-host Jenna Bush Hager pointed out the spark, and by July, viewers were openly rooting for the pair. When one fan asked Kotb about it, she laughed, “Well, if the viewers want it…”
Even the show’s crew joined the fun, airing a slow-motion montage of their flirty moments, complete with soft music. Kotb blushed as she tucked her hair behind her ear while Costner gave her a warm hug. “Y’all are ridiculous,” she laughed.
For now, the 71-year-old actor and Kotb appear to be enjoying the attention—and mastering the art of playful PR. Fans, meanwhile, can’t get enough of their “almost-romance” antics.
