Halloween is Sunday (in case it slipped your mind), and for the latest installment of our #AskNewser feature, we decided to ask morning show hosts to pick their favorite on-air Halloween costumes and characters from over the years.
Willie Geist, the host of Sunday Today on NBC and co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, provides us with two memorable moments. “I was honored, a couple of years ago, to be a poor man’s Patrick Swayze while performing the iconic Dirty Dancing dance with Jenna Bush Hager, who I lifted over my head with breathtaking ease and grace,” Geist told TVNewser, adding, “I have to say wearing Will Ferrell’s actual SNL cheerleader costume with Tamron Hall was a career highlight, as well.”
Willie Geist and Jenna Bush Hager (Getty Images)
Willie Geist and Tamron Hall (Getty Images)
Today co-anchor Al Roker chimed in as well, saying his favorite character and costume from his many years on air was playing Mr T. as B.A Baracus from The A-Team (2013), “because it was one of my favorite ’80s action tv shows.”
Al Roker (Getty)
Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines and Joy Behar, co-hosts of ABC’s The View, all discussed their favorite Halloween costumes from the show.
Hostin said her favorite Halloween character from her years on the show was 2018, when she dressed up as General Okoye of the Dora Milaje from Black Panther (2018). “Black Panther is one of my all-time favorite movies. I had the opportunity to interview Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira and even pretending to be part of that universe was really exciting. I keep a picture of it in my dressing room!” said Hostin.
Sunny Hostin (ABC/Lorenzo Bevilaqua)
Haines said her favorite costume on the show was from 2017, when she was the Very Hungry Caterpillar going through metamorphosis. “I was a caterpillar and transformed into a butterfly,” said Haines. “The beauty of it was that I was pregnant with my little girl, Sandra, and it so captured the journey I was on! My costume’s evolution throughout the show mirrored the evolution that was playing out in my real life.”
Sara Haines (Credit: ABC/Lou Rocco)
Behar told TVNewser that her favorite costume was Tippi Hedren from the movie, The Birds. “I liked it because it was creative, and all you had to do was look at the costume and you knew exactly who I was.”
Joy Behar (ABC Photo Archives)
Jennifer Westhoven, the business anchor for HLN’s Morning Express with Robin Meade, said her favorite on-air Halloween character has been Harley Quinn, which she played on a skit for the show. “I had been feeling so awkward after having children, and had some body shame going on, but something about trying to study the character, and losing myself in an accent and the makeup and the costume, felt so freeing,” said Westhoven. “When I show my kids now the pictures, they love it and can hardly believe it’s me!”
Jennifer Westhoven
Melissa Knowles, who is the trends/pop culture correspondent for Morning Express, mentioned her favorite on-air costume was Tina Turner. “My favorite by a long shot is Tina Turner. I felt so powerful, strong and pretty when Dallas chose her for me to portray. It was such an honor to play an icon,” said Knowles.
Melissa Knowles