Inside NBC’s search for Hoda Kotb’s ‘Today’ replacement — and why it won’t be Kelly Clarkson

NBC has not made any decisions on who will replace Hoda Kotb and become Jenna Bush Hager’s permanent co-host on the fourth hour of the “Today” show.

“[NBC] is not close to naming a permanent co-host,” an insider tells Page Six.

The source explained that the broadcast company is focusing on featuring a myriad of “celebrities and well-known names” who have expressed interest in guest co-hosting alongside Bush Hager on “Today With Jenna and Friends” –– which replaced “Today With Hoda and Jenna.”

“There’s been a lot of interest and a lot of celebrities and well-known names reaching out for consideration to guest co-host,” the source teased.

They added that Bush Hager, 43, is “having fun” working alongside several A-Listers –– including Scarlett Johansson, Dwyane Wade, Taraji P. Henson and Olivia Munn, among others.

The source also shut down speculation that Kelly Clarkson has quietly been selected to “replace Hoda,” despite a new report from the Daily Mail.

The new report claimed that the “Since U Been Gone” singer has been “contemplating” leaving her eponymous NBC talk show to join “Today” in the hopes of “spend[ing] more time with her kids.”

However, a second source told Page Six that the alleged information does “not make any sense.”

“If she wants to spend more time with her kids, she certainly wouldn’t get that [at ‘Today’] and she’s never even guest co-hosted [‘Today With Jenna and Friends’],” the industry insider told us.

Reps for NBC didn’t immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.

Clarkson, 42, also most likely wouldn’t be able to add another TV show gig to her resumé, since she recently signed on to do a seventh season of the “Kelly Clarkson Show” through 2026.

“Kelly Clarkson is a national treasure. We couldn’t wait to announce another season of ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show,’ fresh off the top-rated ‘Christmas in Rockefeller Center’ in which Kelly hosted,” Tracie Wilson, EVP, Syndication Studios and E! News at NBCUniversal told Deadline in December 2024.

Valari Staab, the Chairman at NBCUniversal Local, told the outlet that Clarkson and her team “continue to raise the bar in daytime television.”

“The show’s consistent viewership, engaging content and high production quality has made it a valuable part of our programming lineup across the NBC-owned stations,” Staab told the outlet. “We’re pleased about its continued popularity and success.”

Clarkson began hosting the Emmy award-winning talk show in 2019 and recently celebrated the syndicated program’s 1,000th episode earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Bush Hager and her “Today” colleagues have been scouring for the perfect co-host to replace Kotb ever since she left in January.

“Every day it changes,” Bush Hager told Us Weekly in an interview published Sunday. “It also has been a really good lesson in living in the present. It’s, like, I actually have no idea what this show is going to look like.”

The former first daughter clarified that they are “booked” with guest co-hosts through the “early summer” and will re-evaluate after that.

“But after that we’re, like, could we have a permanent co-host? Sure. Could we keep doing this? Sure,” she told the outlet.