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Hollywood actress Sandra Bullock delighted fans with a surprise television appearance on the "Today" show. The beloved star, who turned 60 on July 26, recorded a special video message for her good friend and "Today" host, Hoda Kotb, celebrating her 60th birthday on August 9. The appearance was particularly poignant, as it came just one year after the tragic loss of Bullock's partner, Bryan Randall, who passed away from ALS on August 5, 2023.
Bullock, known for her down-to-earth charm and quick wit, admitted feeling "too tired" but expressed her excitement about entering her sixth decade. Speaking directly to the camera from her lavish Los Angeles home, Bullock opened her message with a humorous yet heartfelt greeting: "Hoda, Hoda, Hoda, Hoda... I had so many brilliant and funny things prepared for you for this message, that were just gonna slay it, but you know, girl, I'm just too tired!"
The actress, who has long been a favorite in Hollywood for her relatability and humor, continued with an inspiring message about aging. She shared that she had "made her way up that mountain" before Kotb, checking out the terrain and assuring her friend that despite the fears many have about reaching 60, it's actually "pretty damn great" and "pretty awesome."
Bullock's candid and humorous approach had Kotb and her cohost, Jenna Bush Hager, in stitches, particularly when she joked about using a certain word bleeped out several times during the broadcast.
QDespite the playful tone, Bullock's message carried a more profound significance as she reflected on the past year, one marked by the heartbreaking loss of her longtime partner, Bryan Randall. The couple, who had been together since 2015, kept their relationship largely private, with Randall's battle with ALS only becoming public after his death.
In her message, Bullock praised Kotb for her kindness, resilience, and the way she navigates life's challenges, saying: "But when you get to the top of the mountain where you're getting ready to go, you're allowed to say it because it doesn't matter anymore, everything is amazing because you have made it that way."
She concluded her message with heartfelt appreciation for Kotb's impact: "Thank you for being so incredible to so many people. What you do for a living and how you have to shapeshift every single day, how you navigate your kindness, even when that's not what's coming your way, how you are to those you care about and how you keep them safe, and just who you are as a human being."
Sandra, known for iconic films like Miss Congeniality (2000) and, most recently, Ocean’s 8 (2018), Bird Box (2018), and The Lost City (2022), devoted herself to his care unconditionally and paused her acting career in the spring of 2022 after 35 years of working uninterrupted.
“I take my profession very seriously when I’m working, and I just want to be 24/24 with my kids and my family. This is where I will be for a while,” she said, as informed by ET Canada. At the time, her fans thought she was taking a break to enjoy motherhood and spend quality time with her two children, Louis and Laila, now 13 and 11 years old, respectively, and her stepdaughter, who is from Bryan, and a previous relationship.
After Bryan’s passing, people are now deciphering the clues, and her followers believe her partner’s medical condition was why she stepped away from making movies.