“I’m a big Ella Langley fan. She’s had such an incredible year,” Carson shared on TODAY. “And that song we covered on PopStart a million times, and I thought it would be fun just to have a current pop, fun thing.”

The reveal began with a familiar PopStart segment in which Carson announced another record-breaking achievement for “Choosin’ Texas.” The clip then transitioned to the TODAY Plaza, where he appeared onstage in a look inspired by Langley’s music video, complete with her signature red jumpsuit and long brown hair.

Viewers were quick to share their reactions on social media. One fan was clearly caught off guard, commenting on TODAY’s Instagram post:

“Dude…my jaw was on the floor immediately 😂😂😂😂😂😂👏👏👏👏”

Another viewer came up with a playful new nickname for the host, writing:

“Fella Langley! I love it 🤣”

Carson’s Ella Langley transformation quickly became one of the memorable moments of the Halloween celebration. And judging by his wide smile throughout the appearance, he was having just as much fun with the costume as the viewers were.

Carson’s Ella Langley costume came just days after “Choosin’ Texas” made Billboard Hot 100 history. The song spent 25 weeks at No. 1, setting a new record for the longest-running chart-topper and surpassing Mariah Carey’s holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

The musical moment was part of TODAY’s Halloween celebration honoring a century of NBC history. Savannah Guthrie took on the role of an NBC page, guiding viewers through a lineup of familiar characters and personalities recreated by the show’s co-hosts. The costumes included Rachel and Phoebe from Friends, Eddie Murphy’s Gumby character from Saturday Night Live, and Snoop Dogg in his role as an NBC Olympics commentator.

This wasn’t Carson’s first time choosing a female music star as his Halloween inspiration. Back in 2015, he transformed into Gwen Stefani, his former co-star on The Voice.

Source: Various