Hoda Kotb was front and center on the dark morning that NBC awkwardly announced the news that Matt Lauer was in a hot mess of trouble because of hanky panky at the office. She sat with Savannah Guthrie as they informed the world that Lauer was gone.
Guthrie had a shaky voice. Kotb? Uh? Not so much.
Kotb now joins Guthrie full-time as NBC has named her co-anchor of “Today.”
Don’t worry Kathie Lee Gifford fans, she’ll still co-host the third wine-gulping hour with her longtime bestie.
“I am pinching myself,’ said a “beaming” Kotb in a statement published by NBC. “‘I think we should send some medics to Alexandria, Virginia, where my mom has likely fainted after hearing the open of that show.'”
NBC News Chairman Andy Lack is convinced this is a good move.
“They have an undeniable connection with each other and most importantly, with viewers, a hallmark of Today,” he said in an email.
He also called her “remarkable.”
Kotb does seem like a good pick.
But wouldn’t anyone seem “remarkable” after the likes of Lauer?
NBC canned Lauer in late November. Lauer worked at the network for 20 years. But after four unnamed women accused him of sexual harassment and misconduct, he was a goner.
Guthrie and Kotb went on NBC and announced the news. In an interview with People, Kotb stressed that their “hearts were broken” and that the network is a “family” of people “who love each other.” She also said she’s trying to come to grips with how uncomfortable all these “complicated feelings” are around the shocking news that Matt Lauer was actually an office lech.