The Today show is starting off the New Year with great new changes.

Hoda Kotb is now officially joining Savannah Guthrie as co-anchor, replacing Matt Lauer. The news was announced on Tuesday morning by Guthrie, who was excited to have Kotb as her new partner.

Hoda Kotb Takes Over

Kotb has been a part of the NBC network since 1998. She first started on NBC's Deadline as a correspondent, then became a co-host for the fourth hour on the Today show in 2008.

Lauer, who was an anchor in the show for over 20 years, was fired in November 2017 after he was accused of sexual misconduct by a colleague. Kotb announced Lauer's termination with Guthrie.

Since Lauer's departure, Kotb has been pulling the reigns with Guthrie and the show continued to have skyrocketing ratings.

"Over the past several weeks, Hoda has seamlessly stepped into the co-anchor role alongside Savannah, and the two have quickly hit the ground running," chairman Andy Lack stated.

After the first two hours of the morning show, Kotb will rejoin Kathie Lee Gifford for the popular fourth-hour segment, in which the animated pair drink wine and interview celebrities.

Earlier, Guthrie and Kotb did a special interview with People Magazine where they discussed the heartbreak they felt while announcing Lauer's firing.

"We were just trying to make it through those days together. Sometimes when you go through something with someone, you see something special. I think that's what happened. I didn't think about whether it would be me," Kotb stated.

Guthrie, on the other hand, said that the news was a "shock wave" for her but thankfully, she had Kotb to help her get through it.

Meanwhile, Kotb's other colleagues and members within the network took to social media to congratulate the new anchorwoman on her position.

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Tags
Matt Lauer, Hoda Kotb, Nbc, Today show