The hottest job opening in morning television right now is the seat next to Jenna Bush Hager in the fourth hour of the Today show. Hoda Kotb is set to exit the program in January, and it seems that everyone is clamoring for a spot next to Hager.
The producers aren’t in a rush to fill the seat though. After Kotb leaves the popular show, the hour will temporarily be renamed Today with Jenna & Friends until a suitable replacement is found. “They want Jenna to stick around long term and to have a cohost that she enjoys working with, so they’re going to give her a lot of say in who they hire,” an insider told Closer Weekly.
To keep the viewers in suspense, it’s going to be a rotating chair of hosts “to see the chemistry and the ratings” which will be the “deciding factor” in the end. There are already frontrunners in place, including Willie Geist, Michelle Buteau, Justin Sylvester, and Michelle Collins. All four names are familiar to Today‘s audience, but only one person will get the coveted job.
For Hager, it’s a bittersweet time — she’s sad to see her BFF go, but excited to spread her wings. “Here’s the thing, Hoda, you know this, I’m a serial monogamist, I met Henry Hager 20 years ago and that was it,” Hager on the Nov. 14 episode. “I haven’t dated in 20 years, I met Hoda, I fell so madly in love with you quickly, and we’ve had these years together which have been some of the best in my entire life.”
Even though Kotb is leaving her early morning duties, she’s not leaving NBC altogether. She’s already hinting that a new project is in the works. “I have something that I am super excited about that’s in its infancy,” she told People in October. “It’s a whole wellness situation, and I got lit up by that just from stuff I’ve been working on and doing on myself.”
The new year will bring lots of changes to Today, but it seems like everyone is up to the task of finding the perfect person to keep the seat next to Hager warm.
Before you go, click here to see celebrity moms who quit Hollywood to raise their kids.
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