Jenna Bush Hager Gets Ready for New ‘Today’ Spotlight

Courtesy of NBC News

Jenna Bush Hager’s new turn as the lead of the 10 a.m. hour of “Today” is days away, and she’s already stopping traffic.

On a cold December afternoon on the streets surrounding NBC’s midtown Manhattan headquarters, Bush Hager is trying to cross against a “Don’t Walk” sign — and, surprisingly, the driver of a car eager to push through a New York City intersection lets her do it.  “Don’t run me over!” she shouts as passers-by eager for a picture or a short conversation follow her.

Bush Hager is stepping around NBC’s Rockefeller Center offices to tape a new opening for her hour of “Today,” one that, as of January 13, will no longer feature longtime co-anchor Hoda Kotb, who is leaving both her 10 a.m. co-host job as well as the one she holds at 7. That opens new territory for Hager. Viewers of the retooled hour will be greeted with a new segment that shows her stepping through a nearby park, exiting a doughnut shop and entering NBC’s studios via a revolving door. Her turn in the streets is reminiscent of the opening of the famed “Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

“We didn’t mean for that to happen, but we’re not mad at it,” Hager tells Variety during an interview outside the “Today” dressing rooms adjacent to the program’s longtime NBC home, Studio 1A.

The reference to the old sitcom nods to the question everyone who watches daytime TV is asking: Will Jenna Bush Hager make it after all?

Hoda Kotb has been part of the 10 a.m. hour of “Today” since 2007, first as part of a trio that included Ann Curry and Natalie Morales, then as one half of a duo that had her mix it up with the brassy Kathie Lee Gifford, and, finally, paired with Bush Hager. Every transition has clicked — a relief to NBC, no doubt, because engineering successions in morning TV is one of the genre’s most difficult feats. Her exit has created a jigsaw puzzle of sorts for NBC News, because Kotb co-anchored three hours of “Today” along with other projects. Craig Melvin will succeed her at 7 a.m., but finding someone to pick up what she does in the 10 a.m., hour, which calls for more empathy and inspiration, and less straitlaced reportage, is not an easy feat.

So the network is going to try something it has not attempted in the past. When Bush Hager debuts “Jenna and Friends” at 10 a.m. on January 13, she will do so with her first guest host, Taraji P. Henson, who will also appear Friday. Eva Longoria and Keke Palmer will also sit with Bush Hager. Others will follow, with some staying for a week at a time and others, perhaps, for just a day or two. The goal, says Talia Parkinson-Jones, the executive producer of Bush Hager’s program, is to find a match for the show’s unique host — and not necessarily with someone who possesses the same qualities as Kotb.

“Hoda is the queen, you know, and she brings something so special. I don’t think you can ever replicate that,” she says, adding: “We’re in this new version of the show, and it’s really Jenna’s dating. We get a chance to meet different people, and we’ll fall in love one day, but until then we’re just having a really good time.” “Today” audiences will still see Kotb on occasion, as she will make A.M. appearances, continue to host a wellness podcast, and make other cameos tied to NBCU programming.

There’s good reason to get serious behind the show’s sunny disposition. The 10 a.m. hour is NBC’s bid to compete for live audiences in the late mornings, and to carve out some of the ground tilled by ABC’s syndicated “Live,” with spouses Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, or CBS’ “Drew Barrymore.” The network won’t get it by sticking to what’s been “Today” tradition in the first two hours of the schedule. And in this era of digital media, there’s a wider field of rivals to consider, with everything from Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast to any number of TikTok personalities dispensing advice and inspiration.

“This is the part of the ‘Today’ morning where you’re the most honest and raw and personal. You hear everything from Hoda and Jenna, and I think that’s what the audience has come to expect,” says Libby Leist, the NBC News executive vice president who oversees all aspects of “Today.” “They really love when our talent shares the personal, shares advice and themes you may not always see in more of the news programs.”

Bush Hager never envisioned herself in such a role when she was first starting out in a career. She initially was a teacher at a charter school in Washington, D.C., before getting into writing. She was noticed within a few years of publishing her first book by NBC, which has developed a reputation for being interested in members of well-known U.S. political families, and has hired Maria Shriver as well as, for a shorter period, Chelsea Clinton. Bush Hager is the daughter of former President George W. Bush.

She was quickly assigned to contribute segments to “Today.” Viewers may recall her appearances  in common-person-turns-daredevil segments with Natalie Morales that had the pair go camping and rock climbing or tackle various stunts at amusement parks and natural wonders. In 2015, word leaked out that she was under consideration for a daytime show of her own, possibly for syndication. She has also worked to build new franchises for NBC, including her book club – a reflection of a personal pastime inspired by her mother’s work as a librarian.

“My parents and sister are not surprised at all,” she says of her current job. “I mean, I was an entertainer, you know. I like to make people laugh. They kind of regret laughing at me because it has encouraged me.”

She’s taking part in the behind-the-scenes discussions on her show. When it comes to finding a new co-host, she says, “I am involved.”

She prefers to work with a partner, perhaps a natural inclination for someone who grew up with a twin sister. “What I loved about doing the show was Hoda, you know?” she says, along with the production staff behind the camera. There is no mandated timeline to come up with a new partner, she says. “Chill out,” she advises those who want her to make a choice quickly. “I feel like our audience deserves the time to get to know a ton of different people, ton of different backgrounds. We’re hoping to pull up the chairs to all different types of people. I think there will be some surprises for sure. And so it’s like when we know, I think we’ll know.”

Still, interest seems to be high. As Bush Hager walks around Manhattan, she is stopped multiple times by people who want to talk to her about her father, about Kotb leaving, about getting a quick selfie. It’s a wonder she can get anywhere. And until she and her crew pick out a new partner, the onus will be on Bush Hager, as it was on Mary Tyler Moore, to take even a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile.