Hoda Kotb is speaking kindly about Kelly Rowland walking off the “Today” show set just before they were supposed to co-host the fourth-hour last week.
“I just want to say this: I have great love and admiration for Kelly Rowland. I adore her, and I want her to come back on our show, and I want her to host again,” Kotb said on Tuesday’s episode of “Today with Hoda & Jenna.”
Co-host Jenna Bush Hager, who was off last Thursday when the singer was set to fill in, agreed with Hoda, saying that the singer is “welcome anytime,” adding, “She’s the best.”
“Of course she is, of course she is! She can share my dressing room. We’ll be in it together!” Kotb, 59, said in regards to Rowland allegedly leaving the show over issues with the dressing rooms.
“But anyway, I just want to say we love her. We’ve loved her on this show for many, many years,” Kotb continued.
Rowland’s abrupt departure left Kotb and the rest of the “Today” show team scrambling for a co-host. Rita Ora –– who was scheduled to appear for an interview promoting the new season of “The Masked Singer,” was able to save the day.
“On another note, too, we just wanna give a shout-out to Rita Ora, who kind of came in at the last second and really did a phenomenal job, so we have great women on this show,” Kotb gushed Tuesday.
Bush Hager applauded her co-host for handling the unexpected situation with grace and joked she “won’t take a day off until 2026.”
