We’ve barely had time to process the fact that Hoda Kotb is leaving The Today Show next year, and there’s already chatter about who could replace her. While the anchor still has quite a bit of time before she steps down, NBC probably needs to start thinking about who will fill her legendary shoes now, and it’s possible they already know who will do it if these rumors prove to be true.
When Kotb announced that she’d be stepping down, she also clarified that she’ll still be anchoring the program through the rest of the 2024 TV schedule and into early 2025. So, we still have quite a bit of time with her. However, according to Us Weekly, a source has claimed that NBC might already have her replacement in mind:
The big contender who everyone at the network is talking about is Laura Jarrett — she has a really strong chance. She’s the anchor of Weekend Today; she is a lawyer like [Kotb’s co-anchor] Savannah [Guthrie]. She’s a darling at the Today show who has risen up very quickly.
Jarrett started working at NBC in 2022, and before that, she was a senior advisor to President Barack Obama during his administration. As the quote mentioned, like Savannah Guthrie, she’s also a lawyer. At the moment, she serves as one of Today’s weekend anchors, and as you can see in the cute video below from Hoda & Jenna, she has filled in during the week too.
However, there are a few other prime options for the role of co-anchor, as the source said:
The other option is they could move around anchors. They could put Craig [Melvin] with Savannah, or they could put [3rd Hour Today cohost] Sheneille [Jones] with Savannah.
Along the same lines, one of Today's meteorologists, Dylan Dryer, spoke to E! News about this topic, noting that really any of them could take the spot. Between the other weekday anchors – Melvin, Jones, Carson Daly and Kotb’s fourth-hour co-host Jenna Bush Hager – and the weekend team, Peter Alexander and Jarrett, they have a stacked list of poeple perfect for the role. So, it’d be surprising if they hired someone new. To that point, Dryer said:
I don’t think if they named anyone in our core group of people it would be surprising. 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.
History also tells us that it’s highly likely that NBC will promote one of its current anchors up to Kotb’s role. Back in 2018, she replaced Matt Lauer. She also started working at the broadcast company in 1998 on Dateline before moving to co-host the 10 a.m. hour of Today with Kathie Lee Gifford in 2007.
The other reported journalists in the running for the leading gig also have histories like this, including Laura Jarrett (even though she’s only been there for a few years). So, it seems natural that someone we are already well acquainted with from Today would take the chair Kotb has sat in for six years.
No matter who takes over Hoda Kotb’s role, they’ll have massive shoes to fill. She’s been a beloved anchor on Today for so long, as people adore how in touch with her emotions she is and how she can easily balance the serious and light-hearted topics she covers. While she’s fantastic at reporting the hard news, she’s also beloved for her fun moments too. For example, she recently went viral at the Olympics for her moment with Tom Cruise, and people loved seeing her cheer on all the athletes.
Overall, the gap that will be left in this show when Hoda Kotb leaves is massive. However, NBC has some great options to take her seat, and I’m sure whoever they pick will be able to live up to the bar set by her, including Jarrett.
As we inch closer to the 2025 TV schedule and Kotb’s formal exit, we’ll be sure to keep you posted on all updates regarding it and who will replace her. In the meantime, you can watch the legendary anchor every weekday on the first, second and fourth hours of The Today Show between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. ET on NBC or with a Peacock subscription.