Wendy Williams Blasts Kathie Lee Gifford, Says She’s ‘Beneath’ Hoda Kotb

Wendy Williams is calling out Kathie Lee Gifford and urging her Today co-host Hoda Kotb to ditch hosting the fourth hour of the NBC morning show with the star. Wendy didn’t mince her words when speaking out about the twosome on The Wendy Williams Show this week, as she claimed that Kathie Lee was now “beneath” Hoda after she was promoted to an anchor position following Matt Lauer’s firing last year.

Speaking about the twosome amid speculation Hoda could give up her role co-hosting the morning show with Kathie Lee in favor of her new role, Wendy encouraged the host to give up on her gig with Gifford because she’s now moved on to bigger things by replacing Matt.

“How much longer do you think Hoda’s going to stick around and drink wine on that fourth hour?” Williams asked her audience during the Hot Topics section of her daytime talk show, per Entertainment Daily.

Wendy then threw a whole lot of shade in Kathie Lee’s direction during the January 29 episode of her show, admitting that she thinks Gifford and the fourth hour are both “beneath” the mom of one now, despite the twosome co-hosting the segment together for 10 years since 2008.

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“It is now beneath her to be there,” Wendy hit back of Hoda’s gig for the past decade. “Let Kathie Lee find some other socialite to sit with.”

Williams then spoke to Kotb through the TV screen, telling the anchor, “Hoda, you’re in the news room now.”

Wendy’s decision to urge Hoda to move on from her decade-long job comes amid much speculation as to if the anchor will give up the fourth hour with Kathie Lee.

Kotb has previously confirmed that she would not be leaving her position during the fourth hour of Today and would instead be doing both jobs on the NBC morning show after her new role as anchor was announced earlier this month.

Despite Williams’ suggestion this week, Kotb told E! News a few weeks ago that she wouldn’t be going anywhere just because she has a new position on Today in the mornings.

“I’ll still do the fourth hour with Kathie Lee,” Hoda told the outlet shortly after NBC officially announced that she’d be joining Savannah Guthrie as an anchor.

“Someone needs to drink the wine!” she then joked, referring to the twosome’s tendency to have a glass of wine or two while on the air.

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But while it seems that Hoda’s sticking around with Gifford – despite Wendy’s suggestion – there has been some speculation as to who could potentially join Gifford if Kotb did decide to leave her longtime Today gig.

Keeping Up With the Kardashians star Khloe Kardashian admitted that she’d like to see her mom Kris Jenner take on the role in Hoda’s place, pointing out that she and Kathie Lee had been close friends for years as Gifford is actually the godmother of Kendall Jenner.

“[Kathie Lee] and my mom are like, best friends,” Khloe told Entertainment Tonight earlier this month. “Those two together and drunk in the morning would just be epic.”