Celebrity Celebrity Relationships Celebrity Friendships Burt Reynolds Explains Those Strange Comments He Made About Hoda Kotb & Sally Field Burt Reynolds said he attempted to compliment Hoda Kotb when he said, "I am so proud of you for not having your lips larger" By Karen Mizoguchi Published on March 22, 2018 11:59PM EDT A week after making bizarre comments to Hoda Kotb during a Today interview, Burt Reynolds is clarifying his remarks. The Last Movie Star actor, 82, revealed his March 15 appearance on the morning program took a turn when he attempted to compliment Kotb, 53, when he said, “I am so proud of you for not having your lips larger.” “It didn’t come out like that. I don’t know what the hell I said,” Reynolds said during an interview with USA Today on Thursday. “But I got so [hacked] off at people being [hacked] off at me for hurting Kotb,” added the star, whose latest movie follows an aging movie star coming to terms with the fact that his career is ending. Reynolds also said that he sent Kotb a note following their interview. “I never, ever meant to hurt her. I think she’s the best at doing what she does. And that laugh is to die for,” he said about the response to his comment about Kotb. Burt Reynolds Causes a Stir at Today with Comment About Hoda Kotb’s Lips Michael Loccisano/Getty; Mike Windle/Getty; Paul Morigi/Getty Also during the Today appearance, Reynolds spoke about actress Sally Field when Kotb asked if his ex-girlfriend, 71, was the “love of his life.” “Well, [Sally] was seven when I fell in love with her. She stayed seven for about 11 years,” he responded. In his interview with USA Today, Reynolds insisted: “I didn’t say seven. I said 37, I think.” Sally Field on Burt Reynolds Calling Her the One Who Got Away: ‘Well, Yeah’ NBC Recently, Reynolds had another eyebrow-raising talk, this time not holding anything back when answering questions about his life. On Thursday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen, he named Kathleen Turner as the most overrated actor in the ’70s and ’80s. Reynolds costarred with Turner in the 1988 movie Switching Channels alongside Christopher Reeve. He also jokingly chose Jack Nicholson as his best lover. “That’s how he got the parts,” Reynolds said. The Last Movie Star is out in theaters March 30.