It’s been over five months since Hoda Kotb exited Today to focus more on her family, and the morning talk show seems to be doing pretty well. Craig Melvin took over her spot as co-anchor on the main hour, but Jenna Bush Hager still hasn’t found a permanent replacement for the fourth hour, which has aired throughout the 2025 TV schedule as just Today with Jenna and Friends. Even though it’s been going pretty well for the former First Daughter and her various A+ guest hosts, will anyone permanently join her as co-host? Kotb herself has some pretty great ideas.
In January, Bush Hager admitted she was in no rush to find a permanent replacement for Kotb, noting that it would be difficult to replicate the magic they shared together. However, Kotb herself actually threw out some ideas while appearing on Watch What Happens Live, giving host Andy Cohen some A+ names:
I mean, anybody would be so lucky, but to me, the contenders are Savannah [Guthrie], I think she would be great. I think Justin Sylvester is amazing. Scarlett Johansson crushed it.
Scarlett Johansson has been on movie sets for most of her life, so she might be too busy to spend most of her mornings on a talk show, even though she did indeed crush it during her week of guest spots. It's not so outlandish to think she could share a TV home at NBC with her SNL hubby Colin Jost, even if it's not likely.
Savannah Guthrie and Justin Sylvester wouldn’t be completely out of the question either, since both are already on Today, and presumably share pretty good chemistry with Bush Hager. Since Guthrie has been co-anchoring Today for many years, it couldn’t hurt for her to switch things up.
Those aren’t the only ones that Kotb has in mind, either. She also threw out a popular comedian who's yet another Today friendly face:
Matt Rogers is great! And also our dear friend Sheinelle Jones.
Obviously, it’s all up to Bush Hager as to who she wants as her permanent co-host when she eventually makes that decision. But having been her co-host for over five years and knowing what it’s like to get a new co-host, it’s not surprising that Kotb wanted to throw in her two cents. It’s not going to be easy for Bush Hager to replace, but for now, it seems like the guest host rotation has been working out pretty well.
At the very least, Hoda Kotb briefly returned to Today to reunite with her former co-hosts and promote her new health and wellness initiative, Joy 101, and it was so great to see her with Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin again. She couldn’t stop by Today and not reunite with Jenna Bush Hager, and it was really nice to see them together again. It made me miss them together, but at least Today is still very much part of Kotb.
It's unknown when Bush Hager will eventually pick a permanent co-host, but she still seems content with having rotating guest co-hosts, which isn’t so bad. There is always the possibility that Kotb will return to Today again, albeit as a guest, but Bush Hager, having the rotating guest co-hosts, makes it even more possible.
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