Today alum Hoda Kotb is on a “list” to replace Kelly Clarkson on The Kelly Clarkson Show, according to a new report.
On May 8, an NBC insider spoke with The New York Post‘s Page Six about the situation.
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“There’s a long list of names and Hoda is part of that list,” the source reportedly told the outlet. “NBC never wanted Hoda to leave. The question is, would Hoda want to do it?”
According to the unnamed source, executives at NBC want to replace Clarkson, 43, with someone who “already has a fanbase and has a diverse background.”
“Hoda ticks a lot of boxes. She’s an Egyptian, older [than] Kelly Clarkson,” the source explained.
It’s unclear who else might be on this “list” if Clarkson, whose contract expires next year, does move on from the show.
Related: Kelly Clarkson’s New Song Sends Fans Into Frenzy & They’re All Saying the Same Thing
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In January, Kotb left Today after nearly 17 years on the morning show.
“I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new,” she announced on the show in September.
“I remembered standing outside looking at these beautiful bunch of people with these gorgeous signs, and I thought, ‘This is what the top of the wave feels like for me,'” Kotb continued. “And I thought it can’t get better, and I decided that this is the right time for me to kind of move on.”
Meanwhile, Clarkson was mysteriously absent from her talk show for 10 consecutive days in March.
She then shared a cryptic message while marking the 1,000th episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show after returning later that month.
“For 1000 episodes, we have laughed together, we have cried together, sang together, danced together, celebrated and competed together,” she told the audience, “I’ve lost, alone, a lot.”
Parade reached out to The Kelly Clarkson Show for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Next: Hoda Kotb Finally Teases Return to Television With “Big” Project
