Hoda Kotb’s Today 4th hour guest replacement revealed – A-list actress will join Jenna Bush Hager at news desk
JENNA Bush Hager has revealed an A-list actress will be joining the co-hosting roster for Today with Jenna & Friends.
During Tuesday’s show, she announced that Scarlett Johansson will be joining as guest co-host for the week beginning January 2.
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Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on Today
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Scarlett Johansson will be guest co-hosting for the week beginning January 20
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Hoda, left, is stepping down from Today after more than 30 years with NBCCredit: Getty
She was on with Hoda Kotb, who will be leaving Today this Friday.
Announcing the move, Jenna said she was “so excited” that Johansson would be joining, adding that they had “so many fun things planned.”
Echoing the sentiments, Hoda described Johansson as an “amazing” co-host choice, adding that she and Jenna have a “great click.”
The new-look show without Hoda will premiere on January 13 with Craig Melvin replacing her as co-host on the flagship daytime TV program on NBC.
Already lined up as celebrity co-hosts are Taraji P Henson, Keke Palmer, and Eva Longoria.
Hoda announced she was leaving Today in September, bringing to an end almost three decades at NBC.
Explaining her decision, she said she wanted to spend more time with her young children Haley and Hope, aged seven and five respectively.
“Obviously I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have,” she said.
“I feel like we only have a finite amount of time.”
On Monday’s show, Jenna revealed the new theme song that she will be using on Today after Hoda leaves.
Hoda Kotb announces unexpected career move after quitting Today- and admits new job is ‘woo woo and weird’
The outgoing host became emotional when she heard it.
“I was picturing you and how proud I’m going to be of you, walking right here from that wall to this desk with that song,” Hoda told Jenna.
“It’s going to be awesome. It’s going to be amazing.”
Johansson’s stint in the Today studio will be the second time in weeks she has appeared in NBC’s 30 Rock studios.
TODAY Show hosts
NBC’s Today show premiered in 1952 and has bidden viewers good morning every weekday since, adding Saturday and Sunday shows in the 1980s and 1990s. The show’s current host lineup includes:
Last month, she was a surprise guest on Saturday Night Live during a skit featuring her husband, comedian Colin Jost.
During the final episode of the year, “Weekend Update” anchors Jost and Michael Che carried out their biannual “joke swap,” in which they read jokes written by the other that they supposedly haven’t seen before.
The jokes typically feature offensive topics that the comedians would not want to say on air.
But in a twist this time around, Johansson was secretly in the wings watching the sketch unfold.
As a red-faced Jost was made to read increasingly explicit jokes about his wife, Johansson cursed and shook her head – although the pair were in on the act.
Johansson and Jost married in 2020 after first meeting on SNL in 2010.
They have one child together, a three-year-old son, Cosmo.
