Hoda Kotb Just Addressed 'Kelly Clarkson Show' Rumors
Hoda Kotb is back on Today this week, where she's resumed her cohosting spot on Jenna & Friends—just for one morning. But, before she took her seat alongside Jenna Bush Hager, she sat down with her friends Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin for an interview.
Hoda left the show in January after a 26-year career with NBC News. But during her appearance this morning, she took time to clear the air on a rumor that has been running rampant on social media. Namely, that she will be replacing Kelly Clarkson on her daytime talk show. Last week, celebrity gossip account DeuxMois reported that the change was coming and the announcement would be made soon. The unfounded report was bolstered by Kelly's unexplained absence from her talk show earlier this year and rumors that she was looking to leave once her contract was up. (Kelly has not spoken publicly on either of these matters.)
But leave it to Hoda to set the record straight. When asked about the rumor, she said, "If I ever came back to TV, do you know where the only place I would ever come back to is? Right here. This is the spot. Delete, delete. It's not true."
Craig chimed in with, "So the rumors are done." And Savannah added, "Just rumors, not true."
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Well, that settles that! Of course, that led some fans to comment that they want Hoda back on Today. They left comments like "Please come back 😭😭😭" and "Come on Hoda, we miss you terribly."
We're glad to put this rumor to rest, although we were looking forward to a Hoda version of Kellyoke...
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USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Tom Llamas on taking over 'NBC Nightly News' from 'Iron Pants' Lester Holt
Tom Llamas on taking over 'NBC Nightly News' from 'Iron Pants' Lester Holt Show Caption Hide Caption 'NBC Nightly News' anchor Tom Llamas explains why he left ABC News Tom Llamas, the new anchor of "NBC Nightly News," explains to USA TODAY's Ralphie Aversa how he became interested in the news. NEW YORK - Tom Llamas, the veteran journalist who takes the helm of NBC Nightly News from Lester Holt on June 2, is breaking down a typical weekday and how it'll change with his new gig. Llamas lives just north of Manhattan in Westchester County, New York, with his wife Jennifer and their three children, ages 12, 9 and 7. "I get up at 6:30 in the morning because I want to be there for breakfast (with my kids)," Llamas, 45, tells USA TODAY. "But I've got to have my energy levels peaking at 6:30 (p.m.) now. I'm going to figure it out; a lot of Cuban coffee." Llamas admits that he already drank a lot of coffee with his previous schedule, which includes traveling the globe to cover breaking news for NBC in addition to anchoring "Top Story with Tom Llamas," an evening news program that streams on NBC News Now. (The show recently earned an Emmy nomination.) Llamas also served as the main substitute anchor for Holt on "Nightly News." In addition to his new duties as the anchor and managing editor of "Nightly News," Llamas will continue to host "Top Story." "People are working feverishly at 30 Rock because the moment 'Nightly News' ends in the same studio, they're going to hit a button and the entire studio's going to change," Llamas reveals, as Studio 1A will transform from the "Nightly News" set to "Top Story." In all, he'll be anchoring 90 minutes of live television, five nights a week. "The graphics are all going to change, and 'Top Story's' going to start within seconds." Who is new 'NBC Nightly News' anchor Tom Llamas? Llamas was born in Miami to Cuban refugee parents and traces his interest in news to his childhood. "At the dinner table, we were always talking politics, international affairs, even when we were little," he recalls. "Our parents wanted us to understand what had happened in Cuba, so I was always interested in current events." His career started at 15 when he landed an internship with Telemundo, now owned by NBCUniversal. Llamas graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans and later completed a program at the University of Miami's Institute for Cuban and Cuban American Studies. Since 2000, he has spent the majority of his time with NBC News and its local affiliates, save for a seven-year stretch from 2014 to 2021 at ABC News. During Llamas' time at ABC, he worked as chief national affairs correspondent and as the weekend anchor on "World News Tonight," while also handling substitute anchor duties for David Muir on weekdays. When the world shut down following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Llamas' priorities shifted; he was looking to travel less. A homecoming to NBC News was "always in the back of my mind," he says. NBC News hired him as a senior national correspondent and the "Top Story" anchor. "The team welcomed me with open arms," he says. "People like Savannah (Guthrie) and Hoda (Kotb) were the first people I told and they were so nice. And I've known Lester since I was 21." Holt, 66, has anchored "Nightly News" since 2015, when he replaced Brian Williams, who was suspended for falsely claiming that he had been in a helicopter hit by enemy fire during the Iraq War. A subsequent investigation found that he had made other inaccurate statements about his experiences covering events, and he lost the job. Llamas is the fourth person in the last 40 years to anchor "Nightly News," joining Holt, Williams and Tom Brokaw, who anchored from 1983 to 2004. Both Llamas and his wife worked for Holt as production assistants straight out of college. Tom Llamas continues a trend in changing faces at NBC, network news Holt will stay with NBC as anchor of "Dateline" newsmagazine. But his departure from the anchor chair at "Nightly News" marks the second major change to NBC News' talent lineup this year. Kotb left her post as co-anchor of "Today" in January. All of this comes as Comcast, NBCUniversal's parent company, prepares to spin off MSNBC, CNBC, E! and Syfy into a new company called Versant. Meanwhile, Norah O'Donnell departed the "CBS Evening News" in January, and was unsuccessfully replaced by co-anchors Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson. Muir, who took over "World News Tonight" in 2014, is the longest tenured of the network evening news anchors. "There's still close to 20 million Americans that watch the evening news every single night," Llamas remarks of the current landscape. "It's a lot more competitive than people know. We compete for everything in network news, like whether it be bookings on guests, on politicians, live-shot locations, who has the best story, who has the most compelling elements, the video. All of our journalists, besides getting the story right, they're also making sure that they've beaten the competition." Llamas' goal with "Nightly News" is to "modernize the storytelling little by little," employing more user-generated content. He'll judge the program's success on gaining viewers' trust, although he wants "Nightly News" to be No. 1 in the ratings; ABC has led for nearly a decade, with CBS a distant third. However, his conversations with Holt on the anchor role have focused less on ratings and more on their personal lives. "(Holt) did this job while being a father and a husband," Llamas says. "He had two sons and he came up in local news, cable and the network. He was always a hard worker. I mean, his nickname is 'Iron Pants.' So I've asked him about that and the tough calls he had to make." The work-life balance, while now on a more national level, isn't new to Llamas or his family. He says his kids are excited for him and he credits his wife with being the "rock" of their family. How will Tom Llamas cover the Trump administration? Llamas is aware that President Trump is a news consumer. And while the current president has probably seen some of Llamas' work on NBC, the anchor is also aware of his new platform. "You've got to be tough but fair," Llamas says. "If you're tough on the Republicans, you've got to be tough on the Democrats, and you've got to be fair about it. I think NBC has always done that. And then you've got to report the news without fear or favor. "I work for NBC News, but I really work for the viewers. And so when I do have the opportunity to interview the president" – he has not thus far – "I know I'm not asking questions for me or for NBC, I'm asking questions for the people at home. (The challenge) comes with the territory. I've had conversations with Lester about this as well. But I know what I've signed up for, and I'm looking forward to it."
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Welcome, Tom Llamas, to TV's Never-Ending Evening-News Battle
Tom Llamas has no formal training in juggling, but his new assignment for NBC News will have him working to keep some very big plates spinning in the air. When Llamas takes over the 'NBC Nightly News' desk from Lester Holt on Monday night, one of his first jobs will be to ensure that the program's audience barely notices, even if a transition in such a program is one of the more seismic things that happens on TV. He will do it even as he keeps his old job, anchoring 'Top Story,' an hour-long streaming program for the broadband outlet NBC News Now that starts the minute 'Nightly' ends Monday through Friday. More from Variety Lester Holt Ends 10-Year Run as 'NBC Nightly News' Anchor With Hopeful Sign-Off: 'Facts Matter, Words Matter, Journalism Matters and You Matter' Lester Holt Will Exit NBC's 'Nightly,' but Not News: 'I Still Had Gas in the Tank' NBC News Uses Kentucky Derby for New Swing at Sports Coverage 'It's funny, but most of the questions I've received' since NBC News announced his new role have focused on ''How are you going to do that?'' says Llamas during a recent interview with Variety. 'I remind people that 'Today' is four hours straight every single day.' The key, says the 45-year-old self-effacing correspondent, is to prove to audiences that he is representing them in a world where even the simple act of delivering the news has become increasingly complex. 'I want viewers never to forget that we're out there working for them. I truly believe that even though I work for NBC, I work for the viewer,' he says. 'I really want that to come through, because at the end of the day, viewers have to trust you.' Executives at NBC News believe that by naming Llamas the 'Nightly' anchor, they are giving viewers something they really want. Here, after all, is someone who, before coming to NBC, was the weekend anchor for ABC News' 'World News Tonight,' the nation's most-watched evening-news program. Llamas was widely seen as a top candidate to succeed that show's current anchor, David Muir — with one notable caveat. Muir is only 51,and, given his status in the ratings, seems unlikely to leave the role anytime soon. Now Llamas can anchor the evening news as well, and there is some reason for internal optimism. A recent revamp of 'CBS Evening News' that uses two anchors and has shifted focus to enterprise and feature reporting has not been well-received, with Nielsen showing that both 'Nightly' and 'World News' have picked up audience share. Executives have also been enthused by a performance by Llamas on March 7, when he filled in for Holt on 'Nightly' and won more viewers among people between 25 and 54 — the crowd advertisers desire most in news programs — than Muir did for the evening. Muir has typically trumped Llamas in that audience category by 21% when the two have gone head-to-head, according to Nielsen data. ABC News certainly seems aware of Llamas' new tenure on 'Nightly.' The Disney-backed news division recently made Muir available for a profile in 'People' in the days ahead of Llamas' new start. 'I have a lot of admiration and respect for David, and I'm looking forward to going up against him every night,' says Llamas. 'I'm sure he is as well.' 'Nightly' viewers won't see any overhauls or shakeups to the format they know well, a nod, perhaps, to the challenges CBS News has faced. 'We really started this with tremendous respect for our audience. Many of our viewers grew up watching 'Nightly'' with anchors including Tom Brokaw or Brian Williams, says Janelle Rodriguez, executive vice president of programming for NBC News, during an interview. 'There is a visceral and emotional connection to the broadcast.' Indeed, some new segments ought to appeal to broader audiences. One early effort will have NBC News correspondents probing something every American can relate to, no matter their background. 'We are going to take a very sharp and tough look at the insurance industry,' Llamas says. 'People across this country from all walks of life are having issues' with the effects of being denied coverage. In one coming report, a man with liver cancer who was denied coverage for an experimental treatment was able to get it after NBC News examined the circumstances. 'I come from local news,' says Llamas. 'I don't want to lean back.' NBC's 'Nightly' will also start to ramp up coverage tied to the nation's 250th birthday in 2026, with nods to memorable places and people. 'Whether you are Republican or you are Democrat or you are independent,' says Llamas, the reports will spotlight subject in which viewers should have natural interest. Llamas is only the fourth person to anchor 'Nightly' in 40 years and says he has reached out to many of his predecessors for advice and counsel. But it's not the position he expected to have when he was 15 years old and working as an overnight production assistant at WSCV, a Telemundo station in Miami. 'Whatever they wanted me to do, I would do,' recalls Llamas. 'You're getting coffee, answering phones, running the teleprompter, going to our crime scenes, interviewing local officials.' He had to enlist his mother for car rides until he got his driver's license. Now he's taking the desk at a fraught time for the TV-news business. The massive audiences that once made a habit of TV news have splintered across dozens of different video sources and the media companies that run the news operations are facing new economic pressures and political scrutiny. Such factors play a big role in the decision to have Llamas continue with his streaming duties. 'I think the way you survive is by being everywhere,' says Llamas. NBC intends to push 'Top Story' viewers to watch 'Nightly,' and vice-versa, says Rodriguez. 'We see this as an opportunity' to bridge any gaps between different generations of viewers, she says, and to 'create a lot of cross currents between the two shows.' As for politics, Llamas says such stuff is beyond his control. All he can do is get the news out. 'You just have to focus on the news and focus on your job, and just remember, it's never about you,' he says. 'It's not about you.' Part of the mission is to keep 'Nightly' viable for future generations, particularly as news aficionados get more thrown at them each day via digital and social outlets. 'There is just such a flood of info out there and on the one hand yes that' s scattering audiences across multiple platforms, but it is all creating an even bigger need for people to have curated, thought-out contextualized well-produced journalism format that makes the best use their time,' says Rodriguez. Such a show 'will only become more important as time goes on,' she adds. That's a heavy load to carry on the first week of a new job, but Llamas appears ready to get started. 'I'm going to have to make sure my energy level is peaking at 6:30. I may have to have a little Cuban coffee at 6:29,' he says, 'After that, I mean, we're off to the races.' Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Washington Post
5 hours ago
- Washington Post
Their children have a rare condition. They didn't know its name – until now.
Five-year-old Adeline Strohbeck lugged a box of White Cheddar Cheetos Puffs across the grass and watched as the other children and their parents started to arrive. Like a small mayor with a large white ribbon in her hair, she walked up to each and tried to engage them. She didn't use words. Most of the other children didn't either.
