As they do each year, the hosts of the Today show got dressed up in costume for the Halloween edition of the morning show, and with Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, that day would be today. Like last year when they did an ensemble costume to pay homage to Saturday Night Live, this year the team dressed up as their favorite Peanuts characters to celebrate the upcoming The Peanuts Movie, which is being theatrically released next week.
Sounds innocent enough, right? Well… yes and no. Yes, the Peanuts is a wholesome, family-friendly pop-culture mainstay. But seeing a bunch of grown-ass adults dressed like freaky, cartoonish bobble-headed children? Is actually kind of creepy-looking! Some creepier than others, so we’ve ranked the Today show Peanuts costumes from least to most horrifying.
Willie Geist as Schroeder
Willie Geist clearly dodged a bullet, here. All he had to do was put on a neon wig and some over-sized clothes (I don’t know why they’re all wearing over-sized clothes, by the way, the Peanuts children don’t even wear over-sized clothes) and squat in front of a miniature piano. Boom, easy.
Natalie Morales as Marcie and Tamron Hall as Peppermint Patty
Like Willie Geist, Tamron Hall and Natalie Morales got away with just being able to pop on some wigs and stuff. The only reason I’m ranking them lower than Geist is because Natalie’s opaque glasses remind me of Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. What is going on behind those lenses?! It could be anything! (Did that scene freak anyone else out as a kid?)
Carson Daly as Linus and Savannah Guthrie as Sally
Guthrie looks fine but Carson Daly’s weird fat head prosthetic makes him look like the monster from Basket Case. No thank you.
Meredith Viera as Pigpen
I will actually say Meredith Viera’s Pigpen costume is probably the most well executed out of the whole bunch, and using the tulling as dirt clouds is just inspired. Doesn’t change the fact she looks like she crawled out of a mattress in American Horror Story: Hotel, though.
Matt Lauer as Lucy
Matt Lauer in drag sporting a “come hither” face while seductively posed on Lucy’s psychiatric booth? Hard pass.
Hoda Kotb as Snoopy and Kathie Lee Gifford as Woodstock
Only Hota and Kathy Lee could take something as innocent as Snoopy and Woodstock and make them look like they were birthed from our worst nightmares. Anyway, where is Woodstock’s FACE? Did Nightmare Snoopy eat it off? I can’t tell if it’s a bad Woodstock costume or a really bad Groot costume.
Al Roker as Charlie Brown
And finally… WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE. He looks like goddamn brown Sloth from Goonies with bird doody stuck to his forehead. His ears! Why would they do that to his ears??? AL ROKER, YOU HAVE RUINED HALLOWEEN NOW GO HOME AND YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU DID.