Jimmie Allen Surprised With Two Awards While Co-Hosting ‘Today’ Show [Watch]
Jimmie Allen is not only a songwriter, artist, and performer but also a talented co-host! Allen co-hosted the Today show alongside host Kathy Lee Gifford during the fourth hour on Wednesday (March 27).
This marked Allen's second time co-hosting the show while filling in for an on-assignment Hoda Kotb. The hosting gig was Allen's sixth visit to the show in less than six months and makes him the last guest co-host for Gifford, who is leaving the show next week after 11 years.
During the show, Gifford surprised Allen with two plaques recognizing Gold certification for his No. 1 single, “Best Shot,” in the U.S. and Canada.
Allen also shared the hilarious story behind his neck tattoo. He was sixteen when he got the tattoo after getting inspired by a movie he'd seen. He wanted a tattoo that reads "The truth will set you free," but that's not what he got.
"I was sixteen, so I had to go somewhere where they would do it," Allen recalls. "My buddy said, 'My brother does tattoos,' so we go out back to the shed, first red flag. So I see the tattoo table, it's like three sawhorses, plywood and a mattress. I should have stopped there, second red flag."
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Allen admits he didn't know you're supposed to trace a tattoo, which his "artist" wasn't. He was also making it larger than anticipated. When Allen asked to take a look, it was nothing like what he had wanted.
"This guy, being the genius he is, is writing 'Da truth,'" he shares. "I was like, 'Where are you going to write 'will set you free'?'" The artist was going to continue down his chest, where Allen didn't want. Gifford and Allen had a great laugh about the story.
The pair also got a lesson in manners from Thomas Farley, checked out spring hair trends from celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton and got in the kitchen with Craig Susser, owner of Craig’s in LA, to make scallops over cauliflower risotto Primavera.
Allen is a first-time nominee in the 2019 ACM Awards for New Male Artist of the Year category. He will be joining as support this summer on Chris Young’s Raised on Country Tour and Rascal Flatts’ Summer Playlist Tour.
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