Hoda Kotb Could Be Replacing Joy Behar On The View
Hoda Kotb could be making the jump to ABC as producers of The View have reportedly been eyeing the Today co-host to replace the departing Joy Behar.
Kotb currently serves as host for the fourth hour of the Today show, joining Kathie Lee Gifford for light segments and peppy interviews. But now ABC could be looking to cash in on Hoda’s appeal and the audience she has gathered during her time with NBC.
The timing is perfect for ABC. The View has seen quite a bit of turnover, as longtime host Joy Behar recently announced she’s exiting the show after 16 years. The View has also lost hosts Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Barbara Walters, and Meredith Vieira, who had the most news experience among the panel of co-hosts.
“Hoda addresses several of their needs,” a media inside told the New York Post. “She has news experience, which is something The View has not had since Meredith Vieira left. She also adds some diversity to the panel.”
A source close to Hoda Kotb said she loves her job at Today and is happy to be “laughing and scratching with Kathie Lee every day,” but such denials are commonplace leading up to a network change. A rep for ABC also insisted that there is no truth to the rumor.
But if true, Hoda Kotb would be the latest star to leave NBC for ABC in what has become a turf war of sorts between the networks. Last year news anchor Amy Robach made the jump to ABC, and the protracted departure of Ann Curry from the Today show brought more bad press to NBC.
Hoda Kotb would be joining a show that looks very different than it has in past years. Not only has The View lost the bulk of its longtime co-hosts, but it has also brought on the controversial Jenny McCarthy as a replacement.
