Who Will Replace Hoda Kotb on the ‘Today’ Show? An NBC Insider Explains

Hoda Kotb surprised viewers by announcing her upcoming exit from the Today show after 17 years on Thursday, September 26, and behind-the-scenes chatter about her replacement has already begun.

“The big contender who everyone at the network is talking about is Laura Jarrett — she has a really strong chance,” an NBC insider exclusively tells Us Weekly. “She’s the anchor of Weekend Today; she is a lawyer like [Kotb’s coanchor] Savannah [Guthrie]. She’s a darling at the Today show who has risen up very quickly. “

Laura, 40, whose mother, Valerie Jarrett, served as Barack Obama’s senior advisor during his administration, has worked for NBC News since 2022. She became coanchor of the Today show’s Saturday coverage in September 2023, replacing Kristen Welker. One of her most memorable on-air moments came in May when she broke the news that former President Donald Trump had been found guilty of 34 felony counts for falsifying business records. Laura read all 34 counts live on air.

While Laura seems like a likely candidate for succeeding Kotb, 60, there are other potential scenarios. Craig Melvin or Carson Daly, who are currently Today cohosts, could be moved up to the coanchor spot.

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“The other option is they could move around anchors,” the NBC insider says. “They could put Craig with Savannah, or they could put [3rd Hour Today cohost] Sheneille [Jones] with Savannah.”

Other newer NBC stars who could potentially be tapped for the position might be out of the running due to recently taking over other gigs. Welker, 48, for example, began hosting Meet the Press in 2023 while Halle Jackson was named anchor of NBC Nightly News’ Sunday broadcasts in May.

All eyes are on the younger NBC personalities — Political and National correspondent Jacob Soboroff and NBC News Now anchor Tom Llamas are also rising stars — as many of the seasoned veterans are close to retirement themselves. Al Roker, Lester Holt and Dateline’s Keith Morrison, all of whom have been with the network for decades, are likely not far behind Kotb.

With Kotb’s replacement still uncertain, one thing is for sure; The NBC insider tells Us that if Laura does take over the spot, the “big question for Weekend Today” will then become “Who do they move to the weekend spot?”

No matter the outcome, Kotb’s absence will be acutely felt by her coworkers and viewers alike.

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“She’s the person that everybody loves. She’s the same off camera as she is on camera,” the insider says. “”She’s just such a warm person. It’s a huge blow.”

After nearly three decades of working for NBC, Kotb’s departure is unsurprising for anyone who understands morning news programs.

“It’s such a hard job on your life. She has to get up at 3 a.m. in the morning. She’s got two kids and she’s 60 years old, and she just wants space to live,” the insider notes, referring to Kotb’s daughters: Haley, 7, and Hope 5. “She just moved out to Westchester in the last, like, six weeks. And I think that she wants to focus on her kids.”