Hoda Kotb’s work on “Today” isn’t done yet.
The veteran left his full-time job on NBC’s morning flagship show last year and, as previously reported, hopes to get back to promoting his new health app soon.
She returned as a cover for her friend Savannah Guthrie after her mother was kidnapped and continues to welcome her return to the show.
But with Craig Melvin away on vacation this week, Kotb was brought back in as producers want as familiar a face as possible next to Guthrie as he prepares to return to work.
According to our sources, the decision to use Kotb as his replacement was a “no-brainer” for Blass as the duo share an “unbreakable bond”.
“Savannah is in her second week back and Hoda is her safe haven. They’ve been through a lot together and have a meaningful connection,” the source said. “That’s important to morning show viewers.”
Under normal circumstances, Kotb is unlikely to be a stand-in host.
The former “Today” anchor has been Guthrie’s de facto replacement since she left her family to search for her mother, who was abducted from her home in Tuscon, Arizona, on Feb. 1.
Kotb continued to hold her fort until Guthrie returned to the show last week.
Sources say Kotb has been a “steady, calm presence for the staff” as the show and Guthrie navigated this unprecedented time by covering his own tragedy and caring for his colleagues.
“It’s not easy for her to step in, and it makes sense in this situation,” the source said.
Ahead of his return to “Today,” Guthrie gave an emotional television interview with Kotb on March 25 about his mother’s disappearance.
Guthrie, 54, said in a tearful interview: “Someone has to do the right thing. We’re suffering. We’re suffering. It’s unbearable.”
“And when I think about what she went through, I wake up in the middle of the night every night and imagine her fear in the dark. It’s unthinkable, but those thoughts need to be thought of, and I’m not going to hide my face, but she needs to go home now,” Savannah said as Kotb cried.
Mr. Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother has been missing for more than 70 days and remains unaccounted for. As Guthrie continues his search for his mother, it’s important to keep her story in the headlines. A source previously told Page Six that returning to Guthrie behind the anchor desk “brings a sense of normalcy.”
Still, they said, “she is prepared to return to Arizona if there are significant developments in the case or wherever she is needed.”
