With Hoda Kotb‘s recent announcement that she’s leaving the Today show, does this also mean that she’s leaving Hoda & Jenna and, if so, what will happen to the show?
In September 2024, Hoda Kotb announced that she will retire as co-host of Today, as she looks to move on from the popular NBC morning show. What’s next for her? No one knows, not even Hoda. She simply explained that for the next chapter of her life, “I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and to try something new.”
Kotb has spent 26 years at NBC, beginning with her work as a correspondent for NBC News in 1998, and continuing as a co-host of the fourth hour of the Today show starting in 2007.
Hoda became a hit during the fourth hour, so NBC decided to turn it into its own show and even convinced Kathie Lee Gifford to co-host. The result was a highly popular hour of entertainment that differed in format from Today, despite technically being a part of it. Kathie Lee & Hoda became a go-to place for celebrity guests to visit and have fun and laugh even more than they would on nighttime talk shows.
Kathie Lee departed the show in 2019 and NBC chose to replace her with frequent guest co-host Jenna Bush-Hager. Now known as Hoda & Jenna, the show’s future is filled with question marks.
As it turns out, Hoda Kotb has decided to depart Hoda & Jenna.
However, no date has yet been announced for her final show, with Hoda only saying that she will host after the holidays and into 2025.
So, who will replace Hoda Kotb as co-host alongside Jenna Bush-Hager?
Of course, Hoda Kotb is irreplaceable, so whoever is ends up in her seat next is best to just be themselves. Jenna herself may have a say in who it is, considering Hoda had a say in Jenna being chosen as her co-host back in 2019.
Just about every Today show host is a possibility, but three choices standout.
First of all, there’s Dylan Dreyer. Co-host and meteorologist on Today, Dreyer could be a perfect combo with Jenna. She’s relatable and likable, and fans enjoy her motherly cooking segments that she often hosts with her son, Calvin. She also has a consistent personality, and rarely seems to take things too seriously.
Another co-host, Sheinelle Jones, was actually someone who nearly beat out Jenna Bush-Hager for the gig last time around. Jones was a frequent co-host on Hoda & Kathie Lee, and has continued to appear since Jenna became co-host, though she has mostly focused on the first three hours. Jones and Bush would make a good pairing for the fourth hour, if she’s interested. However, she might miss out again because another host is rumored to be the most likely choice.
Laura Jarrett co-hosts Saturday Today, originally taking over as co-host thanks to Kristen Welker leaving to host NBC’s Meet the Press.
Jarrett often reports for the NBC Nightly News hosted by Lester Holt, and is NBC’s senior legal correspondent, but she can also be an enjoyable personality, which is why she has become a favorite among weekend viewers of the show.
No one knows just yet when Hoda Kotb’s official farewell episode will be, but NBC could begin experimenting with new co-hosts to see how things work out, and whether or not they have good rapport with Jenna Bush-Hager. No matter what happens, Hoda will be missed.