Who Will Step Into Hoda's Shoes?
As of now, NBC hasn't made an official announcement regarding who will replace the beloved Hoda Kotb when she steps away from the Today show. But hey, that hasn’t stopped fans from sharing their thoughts! Over on Closer, we conducted a poll through our Instagram Stories to see who viewers think would be the perfect fit to take over as Jenna Bush Hager’s cohost during the show’s fourth hour.
The Poll Results Are In
And the people have spoken! According to the poll, Savannah Guthrie emerged as the top choice with a commanding 42 percent of the vote. Coming in second was Sheinelle Jones, who garnered 28 percent of the vote. Rounding out the list were Justin Sylvester with 16 percent and Jill Martin with 14 percent. These numbers give us a fascinating glimpse into what fans are looking for in the next cohost.
Hoda's Legacy Continues
Even though Hoda is leaving the Today show, she's not going far. She'll remain a valued member of the NBC family, and her final episode is set to air early next year, in 2025. This isn’t goodbye forever, folks; it’s more like a “see you later.”
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When the news of Hoda’s departure broke, Savannah Guthrie couldn’t hold back her emotions. She was seen tearing up on air, expressing heartfelt gratitude and admiration for her colleague. “Hoda, we love you so much,” Savannah said, her voice trembling with emotion. “When you look around and see these tears, they’re love. You are so loved. … We don’t want to imagine this place without you.”
But Savannah didn’t stop there. She went on to celebrate Hoda’s courage and vision. “For someone to leave at the top of their game — to leave something that’s wonderful, that you love, where it’s easy and comfortable and beautiful and fun, and say, ‘But I dream even bigger for myself,’ into the great unknown, you have so much guts. You inspire me. I love you.”
What the Co-Hosts Think
All of Hoda’s co-hosts have had something to say about her departure. Dylan Dreyer, for one, hinted at who might step into Hoda’s role. “I don’t think if they named anyone in our core group of people it would be surprising,” the meteorologist told E! News on September 26. “We’ve all filled in along the way when somebody’s out. I don’t know if anybody’s made any decisions yet, but if it’s one of the core group, I really don’t think it’s that surprising.”
Dylan, 43, admitted she didn’t get much of a heads-up about Hoda’s decision to leave. “I knew about 10 minutes before the show started,” the weathercaster revealed. “Which, I think, is when everybody kind of found out.”
On the flip side, Jenna, 42, had a bit more time to process the news. “Hoda told me just a couple days ago, and when she told me, my first reaction, it was, from my gut, it was almost crazy,” Jenna shared on a September 26 episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna. “I said, ‘No, you can’t leave because what we have here with all of these people.’ What I get to sit next to you and feel is this, it’s what’s between us, and it is magical and powerful, and it feels like that here.”
A Difficult Goodbye
Hoda confessed that leaving the show was an incredibly tough decision. “Certain relationships are one in a million, and this is,” she told Jenna, referring to their bond. “And that’s why it’s hard, because saying goodbye to something that’s not working, something’s that tired, something you don’t want, is easy. But saying goodbye to something that’s amazing is hard.”
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“It weighed a lot on me,” Hoda added. “I went back and forth and back and forth, and then I thought to myself, I think this decade I’m going to have to start choosing.”
