Today Comes to Nashville

On a segment of Wednesday morning’s (Dec. 7) Today show, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb packed up their interview cards (and their wine glasses) and hightailed it down south to shadow our Nashville cast as they shot an episode for the upcoming fifth season.


The charming co-hosts started their day with another unstoppable duo, Lennon & Maisy, the real-life sisters who play Maddie and Daphne Conrad on the series.

The group met on the set of the Bluebird Café, where they convinced the sisters to play a little something in honor of the location. Lennon & Maisy threw it back to Nashville‘s first season by covering The Lumineers’ “Ho Hey,” a Conrad sisters classic.

Making their way around the gorgeous Nashville sets, Kathie Lee and Hoda met up with the show’s leading man Charles Esten, who plays Rayna Jaymes’ husband Deacon Claybourne. Dishing on his on-screen wife, Esten told the pair that he was a fan of Britton before he ever met her.

The Office vet also pointed out that while his character Deacon is fairly reserved, when you “put him behind a guitar he will tell you anything.”

The co-anchors then moved into Rayna’s living room for a sit-down with the other half of “Deyna,” Britton. Unlike many of her cast mates, singing was not at the top of the Friday Night Lights alum’s resume, but she loves a challenge. And I think we can all agree, she crushes it!

The hilarious duo ended their rounds on the set of Scarlett and Gunnar’s old house with Clare Bowen and Sam Palladio, whose characters make up the band called The Exes on the show. The group talked strategy for the scene they were filming later that day, where the band would make an appearance on Today.

“By the 20th take, Scarlett won’t seem so weird,” Bowen jokingly promised.

Keep an eye out for Gifford and Kotb’s cameo on the new season of Nashville, which premieres on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Get all of the latest Nashville news, videos and behind-the-scenes action on the Nashville Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram and join the conversation using #NashvilleCMT.

See more pictures and video at CMT.com

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