Hoda Kotb Stepping Away From NBC's ‘Today’

Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb

 “Today” show favorite Hoda Kotb announced Thursday that she’s leaving the morning program after 26 years with NBC  and after six years as co-anchor of Today, NBC’s signature morning program, Hoda Kotb is stepping down to focus on her family. She announced the decision Thursday morning, and instantly, social media erupted with speculation over who would replace her.

Just weeks after celebrating her 60th birthday, the beloved TV personality broke down in tears as she revealed live on-air that she will be leaving “Today” in the New Year.

“I do have some news. So I was doing the math and I realized that I have spent 26 years at NBC,” an emotional Kotb began. “I just turned 60 and it was such a monumental moment for me when I turned 60 years old because I started thinking about that decade. Like, ‘What does that decade mean? What does it hold? What it’s gonna have for me?’”

Kotb is stepping down to focus on her family. She announced the decision Thursday morning, and instantly, social media erupted with speculation over who would replace her.

Kotb and Guthrie were the show’s first all-female anchor team. Kotb got her start at NBC as a correspondent with Dateline, transitioning to co-hosting the final hour of Today with Katie Lee Gifford and injecting the program with heart and humor.

Finding the right replacement for Kotb, who said she wanted to be home with the two young girls she adopted in recent years, is critical to NBC. Today has been on top of rival Good Morning America on ABC among the key demographic of adults 25-54, and the network doesn’t want to lose that lucrative spot. Morning is an advertising money-maker, much like late-night shows.

NBC News has not commented on who could replace Kotb, the daughter of Egyptian immigrants. Here are five possible choices, according to Forbes:

1. Jena Bush Hager...Hager seems like the obvious choice. She already hosts the final hour of Today with Kotb, with whom she shares an easy chemistry. Young women love Hager’s relatability as a young mother, and she’s a popular social media presence. She lacks hard news chops that are often necessary on morning shows—Kotb had a rare ability to toggle between chugging wine with Gifford and discussing the economy—but Savannah Guthrie is very strong on hard news, so it may not be an issue.

2. Laura Jarrett...Jarrett checks all the boxes. Whip-smart and already a member of the Saturday Today crew, Jarrett is NBC’s senior legal correspondent as well. She would bring gravitas to the co-host slot, and she and Guthrie would offer a formidable hard news presence. Her frequent posts about her adorable children on Instagram also make her relatable to Today’s viewers. The Harvard Law School graduate, who covered Donald Trump’s hush money trial earlier this year, got her start at CNN.

3. Willie Geist...Like Hager, Geist is already a member of the Today team, hosting the Sunday edition. He also co-anchors MSNBC’s Morning Joe and appears as the fill-in news anchor on weekday Today. He has an easy chemistry with the crew already. But NBC may want to preserve the female-female partnership that pushed it ahead of GMA in the ratings. And Geist’s Morning Joe ties could make him too “political” (regardless of whether that’s true) in a divided time when morning hosts need to appeal to all stripes.

4. Carson Daly...Daly seems a less-likely choice, but he is already a part of Today, and the network has shown in the past that it likes to promote from within for this role. As a former MTV personality, Daly has the pop culture knowledge and contacts that are important to a morning news show. But like Hager, he hasn’t shown particular prowess with hard news, and that will likely impact the network’s decision.

5. Sheinelle Jones...Jones co-hosts the third hour of Today, and she has become an audience favorite. They love getting updates on her three children, and Jones’ down-to-earth approach to work-life balance has earned her a strong social media following. The Philly native is known as a hard worker and has been with Today for 10 years. If she or Jarrett were selected, they would be Today’s first Black woman co-host.

6. Ilona Maher...Yes, this is an out-of-left-field pick, but why not have some fun with the new opening? And rugby Olympic medalist Maher is incredibly fun, finding joy in everything from looking for love at the Olympic Village to her current stint on Dancing with the Stars. She also would complement NBC’s biannual Olympic coverage, even if she has no broadcast news experience.