Question about Kit Creator Recommendations

I’ve always been under the impression that if you’re on Kit’s free plan, you’re required to have a recommendation of another creator inserted at the end of your emails, and Kit chooses that recommendation for you. However, I recently realized I don’t actually see those recommendations in several of the Kit emails I receive from other authors, most of whom I believe are on the free plan.

If you use the free tier of Kit, do your emails include a creator recommendation you don’t control? Or have I been misunderstanding this component?