American author and journalist Jenna Bush Hager, 43, recently shared a surprising revelation on the ‘How She Does It’ podcast: how her colleague Hoda Kotb stepped in to protect her before Kotb’s departure from the Today Show.
Hager explained, “In the same way that I didn’t envision myself working at the Today show, I never envisioned Hoda leaving. And in fact, she kept saying, ‘Don’t sign your contract.’”
The Love Comes First author initially misinterpreted the message, but later understood the true intention of the 60-year-old American broadcaster and journalist. “I thought she was saying that so we could link up our contracts and be there until the same time,” Hager clarified. “But what she was doing was protecting me, because she knew I was gonna be doing the show on my own.”
Hager admitted that taking on the show alone was a “different story than when you are sitting next to a partner you have had for six years.” She also expressed her shock when Kotb planned to leave Today in September 2024.
“I didn’t ever have one inkling of a thought that she was about to say she was leaving. I know she loved her work and loves her work, so leaving it wasn’t something I could wrap my mind around until I sat down with her and heard her reasoning.”
“It was not something I chose. It was a shock and it was a disappointment at the time,” Jenna Bush Hager conceded.
It’s worth noting that Hoda Kotb officially left the Today show in January of this year to dedicate more time to her family.
