What the new hour of Today with Jenna Bush Hager will look like when Hoda Kotb leaves

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Although technically it won’t be a brand new show when it arrives i.a TV premiere in 2025 on the small screen, the revised third hour of NBC’s TODAY will certainly look different in the new year after Hoda Kotb makes her already announced exit. Rumors immediately began to swirl about who may end up replacing herand it wasn’t long before NBC News confirmed the anchor filling her soon-to-be-vacant spot at the desk. Now audiences have a little better idea of ​​what to expect in general.

A name change is on the way

At this point, the long-running morning show will officially change the name of its third hour, starting on January 13, 2025. The new title? TODAY with Jenna & Friends.

Despite reports pointing to the idea that Jenna Hager Bush was interested in creating her exit before Kotb announced her own, she’ll actually stick around for the long haul, at least for the foreseeable future. Of course, she won’t be inviting her closest personal friends on the show, but rather a number of other respected journalists and personalities who will help bring both an entertaining and informative spin to the hour.

Who will replace Koda Kotb?

As previously revealed, Hoda Kotb’s last day is behind us TODAY desk will be on Friday, January 10, with the new iteration of the news hour starting the following Monday. At that point, Craig Melvin will officially move up to join Savannah Guthrie as co-anchor across three of the show’s four hour-long blocks, expanding his current position alongside Al Roker, Sheinelle Jones and Dylan Dreyer in Hour 3.

Melvin, who has been a mainstay since 2018, will also join Jenna Bush Hager in the fourth hour, and will apparently earn a big raise in doing so. He won’t be the only “new” face that will be seen every broadcast. Fans will see a revolving door of talented acquaintances come and go for the foreseeable future.

Hager compared welcoming the new co-hosts to re-entering the dating pool after being by Kotb’s side for the past decade. Pointing out to NBC News that she’s long been a serial monogamist who hasn’t dated in 20 years, Hager had this to say about the new plan:

Do you all know the new trend, roster dating? That’s what I want to do. . . . (Expect) amazing guests and friends and family that are part of this show’s DNA. And they want to come along for the ride.

At this time, none of the planned guest hosts have been announced, but hopefully some of these names will be revealed before the holiday season has come and gone.

Will TODAY stick to guest hosts?

Even with Hoda Kotb, who had announced well in advance that she would leave her TODAY concert, finding someone to permanently head up a morning show like this is obviously a difficult choice, so it will take time to make sure managers have found the right choice. But NBC has previously confirmed that the ultimate goal will be to secure a long-term replacement, it said Instagram posts:

TODAY’s fourth hour will be TODAY with Jenna & Friends starting January 13, 2025. The show will feature a rotating cast of fill-in co-hosts until a permanent host is named.

TODAY airs weekday mornings on NBC from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and can be streamed with a Peacock subscription.