'Today With Hoda and Jenna' Will Now Be Filmed in Front of a Live Studio Audience
Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager announced that they will be now filming their talk show 'Today With Hoda and Jenna' in front of a live studio audience. The new show will be titled 'Today With Hoda and Jenna and Friends.' Live tapings of the show will take place twice a week starting February 6th.
These improvements show that the show is doing well with new co-host Jenna. According to Showbiz Cheat Sheet, the overall demographic viewership has increased by 11% since she joined.
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“Hoda and Jenna come from two different walks of life,” LaMarca said of the two hosts and their relationship, “but they are the friend you never thought you’d be friends with when you were 15, but when you are adults, you have so much more in common.”
Jenna was selected to be on the show after subbing on it numerous times. Hoda also approves of Jenna being the best co-host to fill the vacancy. You know when there’s nobody else for the show,” Kotb said.
“The ladies having an audience will make them better at what they do,” said executive producer Joanne LaMarca of filming 'Today With Hoda & Jenna in front of a live studio audience.
“There’s a certain energy when you perform on stage when you have people react to what you are doing. I think that the audience is really going to change things up and I can’t wait for Hoda and Jenna to get to meet the best friends they don’t know they have,” LaMarca added.
Jenna replaced former host Kathie Lee Gifford. After leaving her gig at 'Live With Regis and Kathie Lee' she found her home at 'The Today Show.' Kathie Lee and Hoda became the rowdy, wine glass-yielding dynamic duo that viewers grew to love.
Kathie Lee announced that she would be retiring in December 2018. She continued to host the show with Hoda up until April 2019. While she was sad to go, she was excited to move onto the next phase of her life.
“I came for a year. I fell in love with my Egyptian goddess,” she said, speaking of Kotb, “and then I stayed another year because I was starting to fall in love with the people over there. They’re just so amazing. And it’s 11 years later. It’s literally time. I have so many things that I’m working on.”
Despite retiring from 'The Today Show,' Kathie Lee still plans on working. She is on the producing end of several new film projects.
