Jenna Bush Hager has had a rotating door of A-list celebrities as her cohost on Today With Jenna & Friends since Hoda Kotb retired in January, but fans want Willie Geist to gain a permanent seat next to her.
Willie, 49, joined Jenna, 43, on Monday, February 17, and viewers couldn’t help but notice that the two had great chemistry in front of the camera as Willie joked about his skills for playing Quarters after Jenna reminisced about playing the popular drinking game Beer Pong.
“Since you brought up Beer Pong, I’ll throw in Quarters. Always fun,” Willie said to Jenna during the segment in a clip shared by Today’s official Instagram account. “And you know, Quarters is like riding a bike. You think, ‘I’m not in college anymore. I can’t do it.’ If I bounce a quarter, it goes in every time. It’s an amazing skill I have.”
Jenna then wanted to see Willie’s skills put to the test and asked for a quarter, and the Sunday Today host proved he’s still got it. He effortlessly bounced a quarter into a Today mug on his first try.
Fans sounded off in the comments section and many begged for Willie to join Jenna as her official cohost.
“There you go! She found her partner for this show. They go together. Great pairing,” wrote one Instagram user.
Another person added, “Willie is the one. No offense because I LOVE Jenna but the show has been a little frenetic at times. Especially for the mornings. Willie balances Jenna’s energy, which we love!, with some balance and calm. Please, please, please pick Willie, and soon.”
A third person chimed in and said, “Willie is the coolest guy at NBC right now! I love him with Jenna! Their personalities vibe so well together. He treats her like a real sister on air. Maybe that’s why I miss Hoda so much on this show.”
For now, it doesn’t look like Today With Jenna & Friends will be getting permanent replacement for Hoda, 60, anytime soon and the plan is for the former First Daughter to enjoy different celebrity guests by her side. Initially, when Jenna joined the fourth hour of Today, she replaced Kathie Lee Gifford and the segment became Today With Hoda & Jenna. The two women bantered back and forth and gained a large number of fans. Since then, viewers have had the pleasure of seeing Keke Palmer, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Poehler and more join her for the hour.
After Hoda announced her retirement in September 2024, Jenna and the longtime Today host teared up several times about her decision to leave the show to enjoy more time with her daughters, Haley and Hope.
“I’m in the phase of losing Hoda called studying,” Jenna said during the December 10, 2024, episode, referencing an upcoming party they would both be attending. “I’m studying Hoda at this point, and I’d like to study your behaviors tonight and see how you’ve changed.”
When Hoda stopped Jenna to tell her how much she “loved” her, both women became emotional and started crying.
Hoda officially said goodbye on January 10, but that doesn’t mean she and Jenna have grown apart. Last month, Jenna, Hoda and their fellow Today host Savannah Guthrie met up for lunch and shared a snap of the trio enjoying their time outside of the studio.
