While Jenna Bush Hager is having fun hosting the fourth hour of Today with her celebrity pals, many fans still wonder who will permanently take over Hoda Kotb’s former role.
Kotb ended her 17-year run on the NBC morning show in January 2025, after which Craig Melvin replaced her as Savannah Guthrie’s news coanchor. Bush Hager, meanwhile, relaunched the show’s fourth hour as Today With Jenna & Friends and has been joined by cohosts such as Scarlett Johansson, Taraji P. Henson, Keke Palmer, Amy Poehler, Dwyane Wade and more.
“Whoever sits in this seat is going to have the easiest job in the world ‘cause they’re sitting next to you,” Kotb told Bush Hager while announcing her exit in September 2024. “The only thing they have to do is not laugh so hard they pee their pants. That’s it. They just have to hang on. You are this bright light, you always have been, and it’s your turn.”
Kotb returned to cohost Jenna & Friends for one episode in May 2025 while appearing on Today to launch her wellness company, Joy 101. “Being next to you, right here, feels like breathing to me. It always has, and I think it always will,” Kotb gushed during their onscreen reunion. “No matter how long I live, this place and this space between us is sacred.”
Henry Winkler Joins ‘Today With Jenna and Friends’ Hosting Lineup
While some Jenna & Friends cohosts have expressed interest in joining the series full-time, Bush Hager has been open about the speed of the show’s evolution following Kotb’s departure.
Scroll down to see what the Today hosts and other stars have said about who will become Kotb’s permanent fourth-hour replacement:
Taking It Slow
Bush Hager revealed she is “involved” in the selection process for her eventual cohost in a January 2025 interview with Variety. However, she clarified that it may be a while until the right person is picked.
“Chill out,” she quipped. “I feel like our audience deserves the time to get to know a ton of different people, ton of different backgrounds. We’re hoping to pull up the chairs to all different types of people. I think there will be some surprises for sure. And so it’s like when we know, I think we’ll know.”
Excited Anticipation
“I’m dying to find out who it’s going to be,” Kotb told People in March 2025. “I’ve been talking with Jenna about it. I keep saying, ‘Who’s going to be our friend forever?’”
Kotb went on to note that seeing Bush Hager take the lead on Jenna & Friends has proven how much of a “mega talent” she is. “It was always clear to me, but it’s even clearer because now I’m watching her have blind dates every week with new cohosts, and the common thread is how awesome she is,” the former Today host gushed. “She’s incredible. So whoever she chooses is going to be great with her.”
Not a Family Affair
In March 2025, Bush Hager exclusively told Us Weekly that Jenna & Friends had its lineup booked through “the spring and early summer.” She added, “We’re just kind of living in the present. I honestly have no idea what’s going to happen, when this will end and how it will end, and I’m kind of OK with that, which is really fun.”
Bush Hager’s twin sister, Barbara Bush, stepped into Kotb’s shoes for a two-day stint on Jenna & Friends that same month. However, the job is not one Bush is interested in pursuing. “That is a no for me. I’m flattered that anyone’s thought of it,” she exclusively told Us of joining the Today family.
Bush Hager went on to add, “Everybody was recommending she do it. And I think it really spoke to how much Hoda and I loved being with each other, is that people, including my agent, called and was like, ‘Everybody thinks it should just be you and Barbara,’ because nobody could really think of anybody besides Hoda that I would love to that extent besides my twin sister.”
In Her Cohosting Era
Four months into her new Today role, Bush Hager gave Us an exclusive update on the hunt for Kotb’s official replacement. “We’re kind of stoked just living in the Jenna & Friends era,” she told Us at Kotb’s Joy 101 launch event in May 2025. “We booked — I can’t tell you who — but we have amazing people next week, amazing, and amazing people the week after. And then, we have our summer booked, so we aren’t quite there yet.”
She also briefly addressed the fans campaigning for E! News’ Justin Sylvester to follow in Kotb’s footsteps, as his chemistry with Bush Hager made him a fan-favorite guest host. “I love Justin,” she stated. “We’re going to [the] Beyoncé [tour] together. Cowboy Carter, let’s go!”
A Potential Comeback
At her May 2025 launch event for Joy 101, Kotb exclusively told Us that she could “imagine working with Jenna again one day.” She teased, “I’ve thought about that because she and I say that secretly. We’re like, ‘One day. I’ll see you in a couple years. I’ll see you in a couple years.’ I feel like there’s something there.”
At the event, Guthrie told Us that Kotb is like the cast and crew’s “family” and that Today will always “be home for her.”
Ready to Go
After cohosting a whole week of Jenna & Friends in February 2025, Heather McMahan exclusively told Us she “absolutely” would be interested in joining Bush Hager at the Today desk full-time.
“I’ve been waiting for the offer. Come on now!” she joked. “No, I would. I mean, are you kidding me? I grew up watching Today, so for me to even be thought of or considered in that family is just truly humbling.”
Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager’s Best BFF Moments Over the Years
McMahan went on to gush about Bush Hager, calling her “one of the coolest broads I’ve ever met in the biz.” She added, “The entire production team over there — everyone that is working on the Today show — genuinely some of my favorite people I’ve ever worked with. It’s just fun, and every day is different.”
Familiar Faces
When asked if she’d consider returning to the fourth hour of Today after cohosting with Kotb for several years, Kathie Lee Gifford exclusively told Us she isn’t interested.
“I’ve been back as a guest often because I’ve always got a new book out or a new movie or a new something that I’m working on,” she explained. “I still have great friends there. A lot of the crew are still the same. And I miss Hoda so, so much. [But] I live in Tennessee most of the time now. I have for about seven years already.”
Gifford noted that she was “so happy” to see Kotb follow her passion for the wellness community since leaving Today. “In our family, we don’t say proud because there’s a scripture that says, ‘Pride comes before the fall.’ And we know we’re one decision away from disaster,” she said. “So we say ‘groud,’ meaning grateful to God for all the wonderful things that are happening to you, but totally aware that you could screw it up at any time.”
Who Kotb Wants
During a June 2025 appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Kotb shared her top picks for Bush Hager’s cohost.
“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,” she said. “Scarlett Johansson crushed it. She said it was her favorite job.”
Hotb added, “Matt Rogers is great. And also our dear friend Sheinelle Jones who is going through a horrible time, but I think she would be good. I feel like it’s whoever clicks great with Jenna.”
