Hoda Kotb replaces Matt Lauer on ‘Today,’ and makes history in the process
‘I’m pinching myself,’ Kotb said
Adapted from a story by The Washington Post’s Elahe Izadi.
Hoda Kotb is officially a co-anchor of the “Today” show.
“This is the most popular decision NBC has ever made,” co-host Savannah Guthrie said on the show this morning. “Hoda, you are a partner and a friend and a sister, and I’m so happy to be doing this.”
The move by NBC also means that, for the first time, “Today” is led by female hosts. Kotb replaces longtime host Matt Lauer, who was fired in late November amid sexual misconduct allegations.
“I’m pinching myself,” Kotb said to Guthrie on-air. “There’s no one I’d rather be sitting next to in 2018 than you.”
Kotb took over co-anchoring duties on Nov. 29, hours after NBC News Chairman Andy Lack dismissed Lauer for “inappropriate sexual behavior.” Lack said in a memo that the company received a “detailed complaint” that represented “a clear violation of our company’s standards.”
Hours later, Variety published report detailing allegations by multiple women that Lauer sexually harassed them in the workplace.
“Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed,” the former TV host said in a statement.
With Kotb and Guthrie as co-anchors, ratings began to climb. They didn’t need Lauer. “Today” beat rival “Good Morning America” for weeks after his firing.
“Over the past several weeks, Hoda has seamlessly stepped into the co-anchor role alongside Savannah, and the two have quickly hit the ground running,” Lack wrote in his Tuesday memo, CNN reported. “They have an undeniable connection with each other and most importantly, with viewers, a hallmark of ‘Today.’”
But with the news of Kotb’s promotion comes questions about gender pay parity: Will she be compensated similarly as Lauer, who reportedly had a four-year, $20 million contract?
Hoda Kotb’s career path
Kotb’s journalistic credentials run deep. She started out as a broadcast journalist at local news stations in Tuscon and Washington, D.C., before making her way to New Orleans and Fort Myers. She joined NBC News in 1998 as a “Dateline” correspondent, and spent three years as the network’s White House correspondent. She’s also NBC News’ chief legal correspondent.
Since 2008, Kotb has hosted the 10 a.m. hour of “Today” alongside Kathie Lee Gifford. This will continue as she assumes her new role.
Women on morning shows
By and large, men have been dominant presences on morning shows, even though their audiences are dominated by women.
Kotb and Guthrie add to a sparse female-led landscape on morning television. From 2006 to 2009, Diane Sawyer co-hosted “Good Morning America” with Robin Roberts. George Stephanopoulos replaced Sawyer after her departure.
“CBS This Morning” still hasn’t named a permanent replacement for Charlie Rose, who was fired in November over allegations of sexual misconduct detailed in a Washington Post report. (Rose apologized for “inappropriate behavior” but said that not “all of these allegations are accurate.”) Other CBS News staffers have filled in, joining hosts Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell.
Perhaps as the conversation about sexism and representation continues to build steam, more and more women will see themselves reflected on their TV screens.
