Though Bush Hager was joined by their on-air contributor Donna Farizan on this morning’s show, she decided to prank call Kotb in Paris and pretend their guest host bailed so she could convince her to co-host via FaceTime.
But when they gave her a ring, they were met with the busy tone. “It’s busy?!” Bush Hager said. “Who is she talking to?! Hold on, hold on, absolutely not.”
When they called her again, it rang for a long time before Kotb finally picked up and bluntly asked Bush Hager: “What the hell are you doing?”
Bush Hager, shocked, immediately cut her off and announced, “Oh hold on! You’re on the air. I was worried about that.”
She explained, “I have bad news, and I’m serious. Donna had to leave and I don’t have a co-host, can you FaceTime in?! I need you, can you do it right now? I need you.”
“Wait, what?!” Kotb responded over the phone. “Right now? I’m doing it, hold on, hold on!”
And she did! It looked like Kotb was ready to co-host Today all the way from her hotel room in Paris. “Wait, I love you! JK! It’s a prank,” Bush Hager told her co-host. “We just wanted to see what a good friend you are and it turns out you’re the best!”
Farizan agreed, adding, “Hoda! I love you and you know I wouldn’t miss this.”
After hanging up, Bush Hager noted, “She said H-E-double-hockey-sticks but it’s fine.”
Kotb may know a thing or two about having a co-host bail at the last minute. Earlier this year, Kelly Rowland was set to co-host Today With Hoda & Jenna , but she allegedly backed out at the last minute, forcing Rita Ora to fill in with just minutes to spare.
An inside source claimed “Kelly and her team were not happy” with the dressing rooms at NBC. “They did not like the dressing room, so they decided to pull her off the show, leaving [Kotb] without a guest host for the 10 a.m. hour,” the source said.
Other reports claimed Rowland left after Savannah Guthrie questioned her about Beyonce.
Kotb did not hint at any drama during the broadcast. Instead, she praised Ora for stepping in at the last minute and saving the day. “You joined this chat five minutes before we went on the air and everything’s been clicking,” Kotb said at the time.
For now, it remains unclear when Kotb will be back on Today as she’ll be covering the Olympics from Paris for the foreseeable future. The 2024 Summer Olympics end Aug. 11.
Today with Jenna and Hoda airs on weekdays at 10/9c on NBC.
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