Hoda Kotb is one of America’s favorite daytime faces. When the beloved host announced she was leaving the Today Show after 17 years, her fans were sad to see her go. Amid speculation that Kelly Clarkson won’t be renewing her contract next year for her daytime talk show, Kotb’s name has been brought up. Initially, she denied she’d replace Clarkson, but she recently seemingly walked those comments back.
“My whole thing with talk shows and all that stuff is that I’m a never say never person,” Kotb, 60, told Andy Cohen recently on Watch What Happens Live. “You don’t know what life is gonna bring you.” She admitted that she’s “having such fun with the ride that [she’s] on … at this moment,” but that “TV is [her] first love.” Still, she said, “As I say in life, you don’t know.”
Hoda Kotb Is Keeping Busy Since Leaving ‘Today’
One of her heart projects is a wellness app titled, Joy 101. The app offers personalized, daily wellness experiences with a focus on joy and balance. It also includes curated content, expert-led and community features. Kotb describes the app as the equivalent of having a “retreat in your pocket.”
Like Clarkson, Kotb has shared so many of her personal experiences with her audience, including her transition to motherhood. Since leaving TODAY, she has shared photos of herself taking her children to school, a priority she was unable to fill in the past because of her strict morning hours. Taking over the midday television show could prove to be a better fit for the mother of two little girls.
With Kotb’s fresh new outlook on being “re-potted” somewhere that offers both change and challenge, The Kelly Clarkson Show could be the perfect fit. Like Clarkson, Kotb is an Emmy award-winner, snagging four golden statues over the duration of her career, including a 2019 Emmy for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host for her work on TODAY with Kathie Lee and Hoda. Moving into a place in her life that is less informative and more related to empowering others could also be a great fit with the midday talk show format.
Kotb seems to be entertaining the possibility, but keeping her cards close to her chest. Clarkson will remain as host of the show for the rest of 2025, so it could be a few months before the mystery is solved completely, but with Kotb’s background and great approval rating from fans, it’s almost a guarantee the show won’t suffer too much of a dip with her at the reins.