Test run?
Laura Jarrett covered for Jenna Bush Hager on the “Today” show Monday in a possible tryout for Hoda Kotb’s gig.
Jarrett, 40, joined Kotb for the fourth hour of the NBC program as Bush Hager stayed home.
“Jenna is a little under the weather. All of her kids got sick,” Kotb, 60, explained at the top of the episode. “You cannot escape the germs. They’re in the house, so she’s taking a little break.”
Bush Hager, 42, has three kids with her husband, Henry Hager.
Jarrett, meanwhile, usually co-hosts “Saturday Today” with Peter Alexander.
“You worked Saturday, you had a little day off [on] Sunday, and now, you’re back again,” Kotb explained on air.
The women then discussed celebrities they’ve been mistaken for in the past as they referenced the Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest, which took place in Manhattan on Sunday. While Kotb has gotten Gayle King before, Jarrett has been told she looks like Meghan Markle and Alicia Keys.
Kotb shocked viewers when she announced on Sept. 26 that she was leaving “Today” after 26 years. Although she will no longer sit by Savannah Guthrie, Hager and more, she will still be at the network in some capacity. However, she’s yet to reveal what’s in store for her next.
NBC released the letter that she sent to the staff and crew members shortly after the news.
“As I write this, my heart is all over the map. I know I’m making the right decision, but it’s a painful one. And you all are the reason why,” Kotb wrote to her colleagues.
“I’m picturing your faces and your families and all the ways you’ve lifted me up and inspired me. That’s my heart singing. So many of my professional relationships have become some of my most cherished friendships.
“I’ve been weighing this decision for quite a while — Am I truly ready?” she went on. “But, my sixtieth birthday celebration on the Plaza felt like a shift. Like a massive, joyful YES, you are! I saw it all so clearly: my broadcast career has been beyond meaningful, a new decade of my life lies ahead, and now my daughters and my mom need and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie. I will miss you all desperately, but I’m ready and excited.
“I have spent 26 years at NBC. I just turned 60, and it was such a monumental moment for me, because I started thinking about that decade. I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and to try something new,” Kotb continued. “I decided that this is the right time to move on. Obviously I had my kids late in life and they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have. With all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world.”
She concluded: “I’m gonna be here past the first of the year, and I’m gonna stay in the NBC family. But it’s kind of a big deal for me. Happily and gratefully, I plan to remain a part of the NBC family, the longest work relationship I’ve been lucky enough to hold close to my heart. I’ll be around. How could I not? Family is family and you all will always be a part of mine.”
Kotb has daughters Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman.
Jarrett’s name was quickly mentioned as a possible replacement after Kotb’s shocking exit plans. Per the Daily Mail, Craig Melvin could also be a front-runner. He currently serves as the news anchor on “Today” and is a co-host of the show’s third hour.
“NBC is looking to place one of them in Hoda’s position, whomever the audience gravitates to more will be the most likely replacement,” an insider shared. “The anchors would all love the opportunity to take Hoda’s spot, Sheinelle Jones would be interested, but honestly everyone is championing for Laura or Craig.
“There is more leeway with Jenna and who will join her after Hoda leaves,” noted the source. “It could be a revolving door until someone sticks. The job to join Jenna is going to be a work in progress and could be anyone at this point.”
Before Hager, Kathie Lee Gifford and Kotb appeared in the fourth hour from 2008 until Gifford’s departure in 2019.