Report: NBC Begged Kathie Lee Gifford to Stay

Hoda Kotb, Kathie Lee Gifford

Kathie Lee Gifford wanted out of the “Today” show a year ago, Page Six is reporting.

Sources tell The NYPost that Gifford — who announced on Tuesday that she’s leaving the NBC show after 11 years — went to execs in the fall of 2017 and said she was ready to quit.

But NBC News brass reportedly begged her to stay on for another year because the all-important morning show’s lineup was in upheaval, and they wanted to keep as much continuity as possible.

Jenna Bush Hager

The execs even signed off on Gifford taking off big chunks of time to make movies and record music, so that she’d stick around.

When Gifford initially raised her resignation with her bosses, Matt Lauer had just been booted from the “Today” show amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Megyn Kelly’s floundering hour was sending shockwaves through the franchise, and at the same time fans were still feeling the absence of favorite Tamron Hall.

On Tuesday, Gifford announced on the air that she was leaving to concentrate on her movie career.

Meanwhile, sources tell Page Six that Jenna Bush Hager is the hot favorite to take over for Gifford.

Hager has become popular with viewers and NBC News chiefs alike, we’re told, and is set to step into Gifford’s role when she leaves on her 11th anniversary in April 2019.

Hager has been a frequent presence on the show, joining co-host Kotb over the summer when Gifford was away in Scotland shooting a movie she also wrote.