Who Will Replace Hoda Kotb on 'Today'?

Kotb recently announced she will be exiting 'Today' in early 2025 to focus on her daughters.

By Megan Behnke

After Hoda Kotb emotionally announced her exit from the Today Show, many are wondering who will take her place. Kotb has been co-hosting the fourth hour of Today since 2007 and currently doing so with Jenna Bush Hager. Since 2017, she's been a co-anchor on Today. While it might still be a bit early to decide, as Kotb won't be leaving until early 2025, it's never too early to theorize.

Parade has listed some top contenders, including current Today news anchor Craig Melvin, who frequently fills in for Savannah Guthrie or Kotb, making him comfortable with the rest of the anchors and a familiar face to viewers. Or perhaps fellow anchor Carson Daly, who's been on the show since 2013. Hosting a full hour with just him and Bush Hager wouldn't be so bad, as Daly is no stranger to hosting, most notably TRL. It might be a bit hard with The Voice, which films in LA as opposed to Today's New York setting, but he's been doing it pretty well with his current gig on Today, so it's not completely out of the question.

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While she will still need a co-host, perhaps Bush Hager can pop over to the main Today show and be the new co-anchor? She gets along well with everyone else and is also very familiar to viewers, but it's possible NBC would want to find someone that can fill both the main anchor role on Today and the co-host spot on the fourth hour, which makes sense. NBC senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett could also be a good candidate, according to Forbes. She's a member of the Saturday Today crew, and while it would be a bit of a different pace moving from the weekend to weekday, it wouldn't be a bad idea.

There's also the possibility that NBC will go with a completely new face, someone who's never been on Today. It's hard to tell which way they're leaning for Hoda Kotb's replacement, but it's likely a decision could be made within the next couple of months. Kotb will be exiting Today before you know it, unfortunately, and while it will be hard to replace her, it should be interesting to see who takes her spot. Whoever they choose, as long as they have good chemistry with the rest of the anchors and can have a good time during the fourth hour with Jenna Bush Hager, that's all that really matters.

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