As fans of Hoda Kotb and the Today show soak up the last few months of her time on the morning news show, Kotb is opening up about who she wants to replace her as an anchor on the show.
However, despite announcing her departure from the show last month, her replacement has not yet been revealed.
And in an exclusive statement shared with E! News guest correspondent Daryn Carp, Kotb shared who she hopes will replace her on the show.
“The person who I want is someone who has beautiful chemistry with Jenna (Bush Hager,)” her third hour co-host.
“That’s all I want. Because it’s never about either anchor, it’s about what’s between,” Kotb continued. “So bring the chemistry.”
“I don’t care if it’s her best friend, I don’t care if it’s someone she’s worked with, if it’s some celeb,” Kotb continued, “when she gets in sync, that’s it. If she has chemistry, it will be beautiful.”
The 60-year-old mom of two admitted she doesn’t have much say in who replaces her. Regardless, she told Hager to be vocal during the hiring process.
“I said Jenna, ‘Feel who you want. Feel what feels right for you,'” she recalled. “She’ll know, because the only way it’s going to work is if they got a vibe or not. Just the fun party vibe. It can’t be forced.”
As for any advice she has for her future successor?
“Look, you get to sit next to Savannah Guthrie,” Kotb said. “Here’s what you’re going to do: You’re going to ride sidecar and say ‘thank you very much,’ OK?”
In the letter she wrote to her Today show colleagues on Sept. 26, she wrote that her decision to leave the show became clear to her during her 60th birthday celebration on the plaza.
“My broadcast career has been beyond meaningful, a new decade of my life lies ahead, and now my daughters and my mom need and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie. I will miss you all desperately, but I’m ready and excited.”
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