Hoda Kotb Shares the Small — But Satisfying — Thing She and Savannah Guthrie Changed atToday(Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Hoda Kotb.Photo:Brian Doben

Brian Doben

WhenHoda Kotbfirst began co-hosting theTodayshow’s 10 a.m. hour alongside broadcasting legendKathie Lee Giffordback in 2008, they revolutionized the fourth hour of the show with a jaunty vibe, fun interviews and wine (on-air!) before noon.

But while two female cohosts of the fourth hour was a runaway hit, the idea of having an all female anchor team kicking off the show’s 7 a.m. news-led hour seemed very far away.

But everything abruptly changed in 2017, when veteran anchorMatt Lauerwas abruptlydismissed from his positionanchoring the show alongsideSavannah Guthrieamid allegations of sexual abuse.

Hoda Kotb.Brian Doben

That January, Kotb, 60, was named co-anchor in a history making pairing alongside Guthrie, making them the first all-female anchor team on network television.

“We asked Hoda to step in in the interim, and our of our thoughts were, ‘ok we’re going to need a man, who will it be?'” Guthrie recalls. “But then it dawned on all of us that this was the most obvious, most sensible and best choice. And the most exciting thing was, audiences not only embraced it, it never even became a thing. People were ready for this.”

Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb.Nathan Congleton/NBCU/Getty

Nathan Congleton/NBCU/Getty

Guthrie says she feels lucky still that Kotb was willing to take on the challenge. “Of course its a dream job for any broadcaster, but Hoda had it pretty good on the fourth hour and she could have just stayed there forever,” Guthrie says. “So I think her agreeing to come on board and take on this bigger role and this bigger responsibility was a gift to all of us.”

“It really was a kind of a sea change, and we didn’t know how it was going to work out. It was just it was so different than what the other shows were,” says Kotb. “But we both had distinctive lanes, and I think there’s trust between us. Without that, forget it.”

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They also took charge of one pesky detail that had been bothering the women in the studio for years: the thermostat.

“It used to be in the 60s, maybe even the upper 50s. It was freezing,” says Kotb. “Now it’s easily 75-80. You can go in with a dress. The guys are sweating. But we said, ‘we’ve spent decades chattering our teeth, so now it’s our turn.’”

And as Kotb and Guthrie check in with NBC’s local news anchor teams around the country every day, they can see the impact their pairing has had.

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“When we do cross talks with our local affiliates, more and more and more we see those two female anchor teams,” Guthrie says. Adds Kotb: “That used to be like, ‘What’s that? What?’ Now, it’s like, ‘Of course that’s what it is.’ It’s a wonderful thing to see.”

source: people.com