Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager are reuniting months after their last joint appearance on the Today show.
Kotb announced last September that she would be leaving NBC — including the talk show she hosted alongside Bush Hager, Today with Hoda & Jenna — after spending 26 years at the network. Her final show was January 10.
However, in an interview published Tuesday by Today.com, Bush Hager revealed her old co-host will be making a guest appearance on season three of her podcast, Open Book with Jenna. The podcast follows Bush Hager talking with a celebrity guest about how a book or novel influenced their career path, in addition to other details about their lives.
“I am so excited for our new season of our podcast Open Book with Jenna because it’s such a ripe time for awesome conversation,” she said about the upcoming season, which premieres Thursday. “We have a great lineup of writers, musicians, and thought leaders who we’re going to talk to about everything. I can’t wait.”
The first episode of season three will feature Zac Brown as a guest, followed by Kotb on September 23, Tembi Locke on October 2, and Malala Yousafzai on October 16.
“Just like a good book, these conversations will leave you feeling inspired and entertained,” Bush Hager continued. “I’ve always been an open book, sharing all of who I am — my life, my family, and my love of storytelling. Here, we’re all open books.”
Kotb’s appearance on the podcast coincides with the release of her book, Jump and Find Joy: Embracing Change in Every Season of Life, which hits shelves September 23.
The 304-page book dives into the various changes the broadcast journalist has experienced throughout her life and how she embraced them as she speaks to experts about “how change works, who is approaching it with grace, and what she can apply to her own life and share with others.” The book is currently available for preorder.
Kotb has not made an appearance on her former co-host’s podcast since it first launched in 2023; however, Bush Hager has been a guest on Kotb’s Making Space podcast twice.
Her guest appearance on the podcast comes after Kotb returned to the Today show earlier this month for a segment on New York City gym teacher Reyes Andon. While reuniting with her former colleagues, Kotb opened up about life post-Today.
“Everything’s great. My kids are in 3rd grade and 1st grade. I now wake up at 5:30 [a.m.],” she told her colleagues in the studio about how she has been since her January departure. “I feel really good. My little business is doing its thing. I’ve got a new book. It’s just a different life, but it’s funny how easily you can find yourself starting something new.”
