Hoda Kotb has high hopes for the person who will be replacing her on Today when she officially exits the show early next year.
“The person who I want is someone who has beautiful chemistry with Jenna [Bush Hager],” she told E! News on October 25. “That’s all I want. Because it’s never about either anchor, it’s about what’s between. So bring the chemistry.”
“I don’t care if it’s her best friend, I don’t care if it’s someone she’s worked with, if it’s some celeb,” Hoda, 60, said, adding, “when she gets in sync, that’s it. If she has chemistry, it will be beautiful.”
Ultimately, Hoda wants Jenna, 42, to enjoy herself and get to work with someone she has good camaraderie with.
“I said Jenna, ‘Feel who you want. Feel what feels right for you,’” the Hope Is a Rainbow author explained. “She’ll know, because the only way it’s going to work is if they got a vibe or not. Just the fun party vibe. It can’t be forced.”
NBC has yet to announce Hoda’s replacement, however, several names have already been thrown into the mix. Hoda had a witty comment for whoever ends up replacing her.
“Look, you get to sit next to Savannah Guthrie,” she said. “Here’s what you’re going to do: You’re going to ride sidecar and say ‘thank you very much,’ OK?”
One of the names being heavily talked about has been Laura Jarrett, who recently filled in for Jenna on Today’s fourth hour as a guest cohost.
“The big contender who everyone at the network is talking about is Laura Jarrett — she has a really strong chance,” an NBC insider told Us Weekly on September 26. “She’s the anchor of Weekend Today; she is a lawyer like Savannah . She’s a darling at the Today show who has risen up very quickly.”
“The other option is they could move around anchors,” the insider added. “They could put Craig [Melvin] with Savannah, or they could put Sheinelle [Jones] with Savannah.”
Dylan Dreyer also hinted that Hoda’s replacement will be someone who is already familiar with the Today audience.
“I don’t think if they named anyone in our core group of people it would be surprising,” the meteorologist told E! News on September 26. “We’ve all filled in along the way when somebody’s out. I don’t know if anybody’s made any decisions yet, but if it’s one of the core group, I really don’t think it’s that surprising.”
Leaving Today means that Hoda’s schedule will change a bit, since she won’t have to wake up before the sun rises to get to work.
“I’ve found out, in my town, there’s a 5:30 Soul Cycle class which, I’m going to start,” she told the outlet.
Hoda, who recently moved into a new home in the suburbs, is a mom to daughters Haley and Hope, whom she shares with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman.
“I’m going to spend it with humans, then I’m going to go back and feed my kids breakfast and I am going to make a coffee to go in my Yeti,” the mom of two shared. “I’m going to walk my kids down the beautiful streets to their school and I’m going to kiss them goodbye.”
