Following the recent firing of Matt Lauer on the Today show due to sexual misconduct, Hoda Kotb has been named the new co-anchor. The news was announced this week on the air by Savannah Guthrie, whom Kotb will be joining for the morning news show.
Prior to this promotion, Kotb co-hosted the fourth hour of the show alongside Kathy Lee Gifford. According to the Daily Mail, she will continue in that slot, but will also co-anchor the first two hours that focus on the news. This development marks the first time that two women are co-anchoring a morning news show.
Kotb has been filling in since Lauer was let go in November, and as a result, Today has been bringing in record ratings. In fact, it beat Good Morning America three weeks in a row — something that last happened when NBC hosted the Summer Olympics in 2016. The Daily Mail notes that “GMA typically wins in total viewers while Today has a hold on viewers ages 25-54, which is more important to advertisers. But for the past three weeks ratings were released, Today has won in both categories.”
Andy Lack, chairman of NBC News, issued a letter to the NBC staff stating that “Hoda is, in a word, remarkable. She has the rare ability to share authentic and heartfelt moments in even the most difficult news circumstances. It’s a tribute to her wide range and her innate curiosity.”
Kotb was offered the position right before the holidays.
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