Matt Lauer Update: Hoda Kotb Replaces Fired Anchor, Talks Sexual Harassment Allegations

The “Today” show audience will be seeing a lot more of Hoda Kotb following the announcement that she will replace Matt Lauer as Savannah Guthrie’s co-anchor on the NBC daytime show. The announcement was made during the “Today” show on Tuesday morning by Guthrie who was first named anchor in 2012.

“We are kicking off the year right because Hoda is officially the co-anchor of Today. Let’s give her a round of applause,” she said.

“This has to be the most popular decision NBC has ever made, and I am so thrilled,” she added.

Kotb shared her sentiments, expressing her disbelief about her new position. The anchor went on to tell Guthrie, “There is no one I would rather sit next to in 2018 than you.”

The television personality is set to appear alongside Guthrie for the first two hours of the morning news and will still be seen during the fourth hour of the show with Kathie Lee Gifford.

Following the big reveal, Kotb shared the cover of the upcoming issue of People magazine, which she and Guthrie appeared on. In the issue, the two reflected on the difficulty of announcing Lauer’s termination on air. “That morning was so hard, but Hoda and I were in it together,” Guthrie revealed.

“We are family, and families do go through hard times, and when that happens in good families, you just get closer...It was such a shock to wake up one day and not have Matt, but it was the most natural and comforting thing in the world to have Hoda right there. No one wanted that to stop,” she continued.

Kotb insisted she had no idea that she would be offered a permanent position on the show. The anchor explained that she was simply trying to get through the days following the sexual allegations made against Lauer.

Since being fired from “Today,” Lauer has been keeping a low profile and has been spotted in Long Island, New York where he owns property. Sources told People that he is attempting to focus on his family after being accused of inappropriate sexual behavior at work.

Lauer is married to Dutch model Annette Roque. The two share three children together, sons Jack, 16, Thijs, 11 and daughter Romy, 14.