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5 Feb 2026 17:36
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  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Hoda Kotb just wants her 'Today' replacement to be themselves

    The 60-year-old journalist had anchored the NBC morning programme alongside Jenna Bush Hager since 2018 when she stepped down on Friday (10.01.25) and as a series of guests hosts take her place for now, she has revealed that she just wants whoever gets the full-time role to avoid "forcing" anything while on air.


    She told E! News: "I would say to that person that they should be 100 percent themselves. They should not try and force or do anything other than be authentically, 1,000 percent who they are. If they want it so deep down, it will come.

    "And what's going to work is not that one person's super talented and another person is super talented-Jenna and whomever. Instead, it's whatever that space between is. Once you get magic, you know it from day one. You're like, 'That's it. It's there.' And from that day forward, it's off and running."

    The TV star did warn that it is "hard work" because the job requires being authentic all the days that are spent on air but reassured the "lucky person" that they will be in for a once-in-lifetime experience.

    She said: "Look, it's hard work because you got to be yourself on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday.

    "It's not like, 'I'll be funny today, but I'm in a bad mood today.' You just got to bring it. Maybe you're not having the best day. So what? It's not about you today.

    ", I think all of those things will come together. Whoever that lucky person is, it's the job of a lifetime. It really is. There's nothing better than that job. Nothing."

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

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     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Dua Lipa doesn't "prioritise comfort" when choosing her outfits 17:31

    Basketball:
    To our "where there is hope there is life" desk 17:27

    Entertainment:
    Patsy Kensit has claimed she had a "secret affair" with Terence Stamp 17:01

    Law and Order:
    A 37-year-old woman who allegedly took thousands of dollars from elderly victims across Auckland and Hamilton's been charged 16:57

    Entertainment:
    Savannah Guthrie has urged "anyone with information" about her mother's disappearance to contact the authorities 16:31

    Golf:
    Consistency is the catch-cry for Ryan Fox as he heads into a new PGA Tour season overnight 16:27

    National:
    Trump wants Ukraine to give up the Donbas in return for security guarantees. It could be fatal for Kyiv 16:07

    Entertainment:
    Mackenzie Crook is "not fussed" about acting and is "not that into it any more" 16:01

    Entertainment:
    Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz held a "magical" crystal ceremony over the weekend to mark the full moon 15:31

    Environment:
    Dunedin City Council's slammed what it calls 'false and misleading' claims about natural hazards in South Dunedin 15:27


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