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When Matt Lauer was fired from Today in the wake of sexual assault allegations in November 2017, Hoda Kotb, who typically sits next to Kathie Lee Gifford during the popular morning show’s fourth hour, gracefully took his place as Savannah Guthrie’s co-anchor while NBC sorted through the turmoil. On January 2, the network announced that Kotb would permanently replace Lauer, sparking celebration across social media and among her cohosts.
“I feel happy for her because she is having the greatest year of her life, and if she’s happy, I’m happy for her,” Gifford, 64, told People. “What’s happening to her now is something she would have given anything for earlier on in her career. … Nobody is as good as what they do as Hoda. Nobody spreads more joy. But she has learned that the way you make your living is different from what your life is all about. She has a life to go home to that means more to her than anything she could have dreamed of. I’m not minimizing how huge this is, but I’m explaining this comes to her at the perfect time. … She knows what’s truly important.”
Kotb will reportedly keep her seat during Today’s fourth hour as she settles in with Guthrie, but in the event that she decides to give it up in favor of her new gig (or to leave Today altogether, as she previously stated she would do last January), we rounded up a list of Black hosts who could potentially take her place.
Think we’re missing someone? Check out our picks below, then let us know your thoughts by hitting us up on Twitter at @CASSIUSLife_.
1 Tamron Hall
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2 Don Lemon
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3 Alicia Quarles
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4 Lola Ogunnaike
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5 Al Roker
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6 Janet Mock
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7 Touré
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8 Melissa Harris Perry
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