NBC has chosen Savannah Guthrie’s replacement for co-hosting coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics opening ceremony. As probably could have been expected, the network didn’t look too far outside the TODAY show’s studios to complete the hosting trio with Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira.
Hoda Kotb will replace Guthrie as co-host of the Rio Olympics opening ceremony on Aug. 5. Naturally, NBC isn’t just flying Kotb to Brazil for a one-off opportunity either. She will also work as a correspondent during the network’s coverage of the Games, in addition to being part of the TODAY anchor team, which will be based in Rio throughout the Olympics.
Kotb is a natural choice, since she’s worked Olympic coverage for NBC previously, including the 2004 Games in Athens, 2006 in Torino, 2008 in Beijing and London’s 2012 Games.
Given some of the topics she and Kathie Lee Gifford have covered while hosting the fourth hour of TODAY, Kotb might be ideal to interview, for instance, members of the U.S. swim and diving teams about their grooming techniques prior to competition.
https://youtu.be/EiACvTK-xg8
Let’s take a moment for Kathie Lee, who will be without her hosting compadre and wine buddy for three weeks. (The two have hosted the fourth hour of TODAY since 2008.) But she’s surely happy for Kotb and will be consoled with Carson Daly, or whomever else might fill in during the Olympics. Willie Geist might be a more steadying influence. Just an opinion there.
The newly pregnant Guthrie opted out of NBC’s Olympic coverage due to concerns (and doctors’ advice) over the Zika virus in Brazil, but she’ll still play a prominent role for the network while anchoring from New York. Holding down the fort at Rockefeller Center, she can continue to rock out to summer concerts from the likes of Howard Jones.
Whoa, whoa, whoa! @SavannahGuthrie is loving today's concert with @howardjones! #HowardJonesTODAY! pic.twitter.com/7sZp9qTXd4
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 16, 2016
