Not Coffee, Not Energy Drinks: How These Morning Show Hosts Survive Brutal Early Wake-Ups

By the time we see our favorite morning show hosts on television, they have already been up and at it for several hours. During a 2019 interview with The Cut, Hoda Kotb revealed that her first alarm went off at 3 a.m. and the second one went off 15 minutes later. Instead of going out and grabbing a cup of coffee, the former "Today" show host got into a shower to awaken her senses. Afterwards, Kotb tried to create a laidback start to her day by putting on some music, lighting a candle, and downing a bottle of water. 

Regardless of how crunched for time Kotb might be on any given day, she made sure to take a moment to journal. "In the journal, I'll write the three things I'm grateful for just right there in that moment. [...] And then one amazing thing that happened the day before. It's almost like a level set." In a 2025 interview with Parade, Kotb shared that she continued to wake up at around 4:30 a.m., even after her departure from "Today." 

However, she didn't mind that her body's natural clock was set that early because it enabled her to continue to enjoy her mornings. Since she no longer had to be on set in the mornings, Kotb could set aside 20 minutes for meditation and more in-depth journaling. In those days, she was using journaling as a means to check in with herself and see all the things she needed to replenish herself mentally, physically, and spiritually. The news anchor also loved to get a good strength training session in the mornings.

Speaking to The Cut in 2018, Gayle King shared that her first alarm went off at 3:22 a.m. and her backup alarm sounded at 3:25 a.m. In a 2023 episode of "CBS Mornings," King shared that she usually snoozed her alarm three times because she wasn't someone who could just immediately spring out of bed and jump-start her day. Still, the beloved news anchor was proud to tell The Cut that she had never slept past her alarms.

Meanwhile, in a 2016 interview with Bon Appétit, King revealed that she went through her morning routine without coffee (and food) because the idea of consuming anything other than water that early gave her the ick. In contrast, something that brought her joy and relaxation was her 3:45 a.m. bubble bath. During a 2024 interview with USA Today, the journalist revealed that she would sometimes get in a workout at 4 a.m. Typically, her workout routine was a blend of cardio and strength-training exercises that helped her get the best of both worlds. King noted that she tended to prioritize strength training exercises because she knew they were crucial for bone health. 

Needless to say, the journalist was right on the money about that, since resistance training is one of the best exercises to try if you have osteoporosis. King was so serious about her fitness that she ensured that every hotel she stayed at had a 24-hour fitness center. With that kind of dedication, King surely knows firsthand what lifting weights really does for the body.

In a 2013 interview with Bon Appétit, Al Roker revealed that he promptly woke up at 3:15 a.m. and proceeded to shower and shave. After tending to his needs for 15 minutes, the "Today" show weather anchor started attending to work calls, packed his son's lunch, and gathered the ingredients for his daily breakfast smoothie. 

Roker said that he had sworn off tea and coffee and chosen to kickstart his mornings with kombucha instead. In a 2014 article for Today.com, Roker opened up about his reasons for picking the beverage, saying, "It's anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and good for digestion. And I feel great! I feel fantastic." With those words, the TV personality basically described what happens to the body when you drink kombucha every day. 

During a 2019 episode of "Today," Roker shared that he continued his morning routine by hitting the gym at around 4:30 a.m. For the former "Wake Up With Al" host, a typical workout session seemed to be a mix of cardio and strength training exercises. Roker went on to say that he preferred to get his workouts done early in the morning because it eliminated the anxiety of having another item to check off his to-do list, as well as the guilt of missing a workout. In the 2014 Today.com article, Roker shared that another thing that energized his mornings was listening to "The A-Team" theme song on his way to work, adding, "It gets you jazzed — you recite the opening lines, you go on your way, and boom!"