When Hoda Kotb left the Today show in January, she said she wanted to “try something new.”
Less than a year later, she’s desperate to come back to her old job, sources exclusively tell Star.
The journalist, 61, released a wellness platform and app, Joy 101, since her exit, but “downloads are flat” and the brand’s retreat weekends “aren’t selling,” an industry veteran tells Star. “Hoda’s realizing she’s shouting into the dark.”
Fans haven’t flocked to her new project, agrees an NBC insider: “In TV, once you leave, you’re quickly forgotten.”
The mother of two — who released a new book, Jump and Find Joy: Embracing Change in Every Season of Life on Tuesday, September 23 — is also missing her former Today team.
“She’s smart and talented,” says a former staffer. “But the truth is she also had an army. And that army works for NBC, not Hoda.”
Unfortunately for Kotb, the show has gone on without her. Her recent guest appearance didn’t move the ratings needle, says the NBC insider, and more importantly, Today star Savannah Guthrie, 53, is not so anxious to welcome her back.
“Savannah likes being the boss and Hoda’s popularity always bothered her,” says the NBC insider. Cohost Craig Melvin “isn’t a threat, but Hoda is.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source starmagazine.com ’
