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Laura Jarrett Fills in for Jenna Bush Hager on ‘Today’ Amid Rumors She Will Replace Hoda Kotb
Laura Jarrett continues to make her presence known at NBC, this time filling in for Jenna Bush Hager during a Monday, October 28, episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna.
At the top of the hour, Hoda Kotb revealed the reason that Jenna, 42, was absent from the episode.
“Jenna is a little under the weather. All of her kids got sick,” she told viewers. “You cannot escape the germs. They’re in the house, so she’s taking a little break.”
Jenna, who shares kids Mila, Poppy and Hal with husband Henry Hager, was replaced by Weekend Today anchor Laura, 40, at the news desk amid her recovery from the illness.
“You worked Saturday, you had a little day off [on] Sunday, and now, you’re back again,” Hoda told Laura during the episode.
Laura’s guest spot on the show came just a few weeks after rumors began swirling that she was a top contender to replace Hoda when she leaves Today in early 2025.
“The big contender who everyone at the network is talking about is Laura Jarrett — she has a really strong chance,” an NBC insider told Us Weekly on September 26, hours after Hoda publicly announced she was leaving the show. “She’s the anchor of Weekend Today; she is a lawyer like [Hoda’s coanchor] Savannah [Guthrie]. She’s a darling at the Today show who has risen up very quickly.”
Still, NBC has yet to officially announce who Hoda’s replacement will be. All fans can do now is speculate. However, several people on social media have thrown some names in the ring for Hoda’s potential replacement.
Closer caught up with Savannah Guthrie at Project Healthy Mind’s World Mental Health Day Gala at New York’s Spring Studios on October 10. She was asked if she would be interested in taking over Hoda’s spot in Today’s fourth hour.
“Oh my gosh, of course, I mean, I love Jenna,” Savannah, 52, said. “I think they’ll probably go in a different direction.”
“I think by 10:00, the show has had enough of me,” the broadcaster added. “But I’m here for a fill-in anytime. Jenna is one of my dear friends, too. The thing I’ll say is our show is in great hands. It’s not about one person or two people. There’s an entire cast, an entire ensemble, and we’re family.”
Other names that have been tossed around by fans as for who they think might replace Hoda include Snoop Dogg, Sheinelle Jones, Craig Melvin, Maria Shriver and Willie Geist.
While Hoda will be walking away from Today after 17 years, she will still remain part of the NBC family in a different role.
“She’s not planning on disappearing from the network,” an insider told Closer earlier this month. “She’s hoping to do some specials and fill in from time to time.”
Another source shared that Hoda, who is a mom to daughters Haley and Hope, will still be kept busy, as she has “got plenty of opportunities lined up.”
“The NBC bosses are desperate to keep her in the fold and ease her into a more serious anchor role for prime-time specials,” the second insider said earlier this month.
