{"id":2062574,"date":"2025-10-01T17:53:37","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T17:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2062574"},"modified":"2025-10-01T17:53:37","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T17:53:37","slug":"rachel-lindsay-campaigns-for-justin-sylvester-to-replace-hoda-kotb-excl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/rachel-lindsay-campaigns-for-justin-sylvester-to-replace-hoda-kotb-excl\/","title":{"rendered":"Rachel Lindsay Campaigns for Justin Sylvester to Replace Hoda Kotb (Excl)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hoda Kotb<\/strong><\/a> named Justin Sylvester<\/strong><\/a> as one of the people she hopes will cohost the Today<\/em><\/a> show\u2019s Jenna & Friends<\/em> <\/a>alongside Jenna Bush Hager<\/strong> \u2014 and Rachel Lindsay<\/strong><\/a> cosigns that message.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll say the things that Justin can\u2019t say. Not only did [Kotb] cosign him, she said, \u2018I\u2019m sorry, who? I\u2019m sorry, what? It is Justin Sylvester.\u2019 Justin Sylvester should be the cohost of Jenna & Friends<\/em>,\u201d Lindsay, 40, told Us Weekly<\/em> exclusively at the \u201cLadyGang\u201d podcast\u2019s three-day LadyWorld<\/a> Festival in Miramar Beach, Florida. \u201cThis is no shade or disrespect to any other person that has shared the platform with Jenna. They are great, they are beautiful, they are dynamic, they are intelligent. But Justin brings an energy that you cannot recreate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsay continued to praise her \u201cfunny\u201d and \u201crelatable\u201d best friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cI say this as somebody who experiences in real life, it is just for him. He should have it,\u201d the former Bachelorette<\/em><\/a> star said. \u201cAnd who better to get the cosign from than Hoda Kotb herself.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Justin Sylvester and Rachel Lindsay at LADYWORLD \u201925 Presented by e.l.f Cosmetics.<\/span> Chelsea Lauren \/ Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kotb, 61, departed the Today<\/em> show earlier this year<\/a> and the search for Bush Hager\u2019s new cohost for the show\u2019s fourth hour has been on ever since. Sylvester, 38, has made several appearances on the show \u2014 even cohosting Jenna & Friends<\/em> earlier this week.<\/p>\n

During a June appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen<\/em><\/a>, Kotb was asked who she thinks should be Bush Hager\u2019s cohost. She said Sylvester was one of the \u201ccontenders\u201d for the role.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>What the ‘Today’ Hosts, Celebs Have Said About Finding Hoda’s Replacement<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tWhile Jenna Bush Hager is having fun hosting the fourth hour of Today with her celebrity pals, many fans still wonder who will permanently take over Hoda Kotb\u2019s former role. Kotb ended her 17-year run on the NBC morning show in January 2025, after which Craig Melvin replaced her as Savannah Guthrie\u2019s news coanchor. Bush [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI really enjoy doing Jenna & Friends<\/em>. The fact that Hoda Kotb handed me her wedding dress and said, \u2018It\u2019s your time to wear it,\u2019 is unbelievable,\u201d Sylvester told Us<\/em>. \u201cI truly believe that having two people who come from two different walks of life talk about things and relate to things as one is what daytime needs right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cI know I keep on saying this, but everybody needs a gay friend. America needs a gay friend. I am that girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsay said it\u2019s \u201ca sigh of relief\u201d when Sylvester is on the Today<\/em> show stage.<\/p>\n

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\n Keltie Knight, Justin Sylvester, Rachel Lindsay, Jac Vanek and Becca Tobin at LADYWORLD \u201925 Presented by e.l.f Cosmetics.<\/span> Chelsea Lauren \/ Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI just want to make Hoda proud,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Sylvester first appeared on Jenna & Friends<\/em> in February, before returning to cohost on two separate occasions in April. He joined Bush Hager in May as well, and the duo famously recounted their experience at Beyonc\u00e9<\/strong>\u2019s Cowboy Carter Tour<\/em><\/a>. Sylvester is set to return on Thursday, October 2, to round out the week with Bush Hager.<\/p>\n

Prior to his Jenna & Friends<\/em> appearances, Sylvester hosted E! News<\/em> from 2022 until the show ended last month<\/a>. He teased his \u201cnext chapter\u201d via Instagram in August.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Podcast Coachella: What You Didn\u2018t See at the LadyGang\u2019s LadyWorld Festival<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tThe \u201cLadyGang\u201d podcast\u2019s first-ever LadyWorld festival was a whirlwind weekend for fans of Becca Tobin, Keltie Knight and Jac Vanek. The trio founded the podcast in 2015, and they never imagined having a three-day festival (which Stassi Schroeder dubbed \u201cpodcast Coachella\u201d while on stage) that included tons of supportive women who wanted nothing more than [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sylvester\u2019s appearance at LadyWorld<\/a> this past weekend was in support of his former E! News<\/em> cohost Keltie Knight<\/strong>, who is one-third of the \u201cLadyGang\u201d podcast alongside Glee<\/em><\/a> alum Becca Tobin<\/strong> and Jac Vanek<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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