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Hoda Kotb is a fan-favorite pick to replace Kelly Clarkson.
Amidst hints that Clarkson is so over her daytime talk show, exciting reports have said that Kotb is on the shortlist to take her place.
Kotb made a The Today Show comeback to promote her wellness venture.
Is she confirming an interest in the coveted time slot?
Will Hoda Kotb replace Kelly Clarkson in her coveted talk show time slot?
On Wednesday, May 28, Hoda Kotb delighted her former coworkers and millions of viewers with her Today return.
This is not a permanent return following her departure late last year.
This time, she appeared as a guest, chatting with Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin about Joy 101, her new wellness app.
As you can see in the The Today Show video below, Hoda Kotb had no choice but to address the rumor that she will fill Kelly Clarkson’s shoes as a daytime talk show host.
“Delete. Delete,” Kotb insisted. “That’s not true.”
She then reasoned:
“I want to ask you all a real question. Do you think that if I ever came back to TV … do you know the only place I would ever come back is? Right here, this is the spot. There’s no place like home.”
That said, she WILL be on ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’
Next week, Hoda Kotb will appear on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
However, during her Today interview, she explained that the guest spot will be just “for fun.”
And, one assumes, to promote Joy 101, as she did on her old stomping ground.
To be clear, Kelly Clarkson’s current contract runs out in 2026. This would be a time, if the singer wishes, for her to step down from being a daytime talk show host.
If and when that happens, NBC will need to select a new talk show host.
(It is possible, but unlikely, that NBC might put something else in that time slot)
But Hoda Kotb is making it clear that she doesn’t have her eye on that gig.
There’s a silver lining here!
For fans of Kotb, that’s a real disappointment.
She is a television staple, and has a charming and endearing demeanor that has won over millions of viewers over her many years on Today.
On the other hand, the idea of her one day returning to The Today Show is a welcome thought.
Guthrie and Melvin are fantastic, but you can never have too many beloved co-hosts, can you?
In the meantime, Kotb has her new app. That’s exciting for anyone willing to install yet another app on their phone.
