oda Kotb is running late for her interview with TODAY’s spring cover star Priyanka Chopra Jonas, but she has a bulletproof excuse.
“I love you, I love you, I love you,” Hoda says to her computer monitor. She’s breathless as she glides into her cozy, color-drenched office at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City and joins a video call with Priyanka, who is seated in front of a stylish backdrop at a friend’s home in Mumbai, India.
While Hoda is clearly happy to see the global superstar, her affectionate greeting is actually a message she’s passing along from the person responsible for her tardiness: Nick Jonas, Priyanka’s husband of nearly five years. Hoda has arrived directly from a promotional shoot with Nick and his siblings – the Jonas Brothers – in the same building, ahead of their performance for TODAY’s Citi Concert Series in May.
“Nick told me to convey this message: ‘Please tell her that I love her.’ I assume you already know that,” Hoda says. Priyanka’s face beams upon hearing her husband’s name. The jet-setting couple had been together in Mumbai earlier in the week promoting her new Prime Video action-spy series, “Citadel,” while also exposing 1-year-old daughter Malti to her mom’s home country for the first time.
“My husband is the kindest, most generous, gentle, thoughtful man — and also extremely intelligent and patient,” Priyanka tells Hoda. The effusive praise of Nick will become a recurring theme in their nearly hour-long conversation, which runs the gamut of emotions: laughter, introspection and even tears.
The virtual sit-down with Hoda comes two weeks after Priyanka’s photo shoot for this story at Milk Studios in Los Angeles, during which she confidently offered suggestions on the aesthetic, poses and lighting. Less than 48 hours later, in London, she will post on Instagram as she gets her hair and makeup done while holding her baby girl Malti in her arms. And several days after that, her social media shows her in India, from where she shares glamorous portraits from several events with husband Nick.
As she traverses the globe balancing her roles as wife and mother while returning to acting, it’s clear Priyanka is embracing a new season of her life — and it looks good on her. At 40 and more than two decades into her storied, international career, she’s as world-renowned as ever, with nearly 87 million Instagram followers alone.
Now, as Hoda prepares to start their cover story interview, some technical difficulties arise on the video call. Priyanka, however, immediately takes control, deftly managing her team in India to make the necessary audio and lighting adjustments. Measured and cheerfully diplomatic, she knows how to diffuse chaos behind the camera. And then, just as naturally, she’s ready to perform in front of it.
WHEN CONFIDENCE BLOOMED
“What you just did in that second explains to me why you are successful in your life,” Hoda observes, smiling. “You get stuff done…but it means you’ve got to be confident in your voice. When did that come to you?”
For the uninitiated, Priyanka stepped into the limelight nearly 23 years ago, when she was crowned Miss India World 2000 at age 17. Her accidental pageant career – the result of her then 10-year-old brother and mom entering her without her knowledge – culminated in a Miss World title the same year. That launched Priyanka into a decade-long film career in India, where she eventually became one of the country’s highest paid actors, appearing in nearly 70 movies.
