Matt Lauer and Hoda Kotb were once close, and now he’d love to team up with the beloved TV journalist after she revealed that she’ll be leaving Today.
“It would prove very beneficial for Matt to align with Hoda because she’s so well respected in the field,” an insider exclusively tells In Touch. “She could make him respectable again.”
The 66-year-old ousted news anchor has kept a relatively low profile since he was fired from NBC on November 29, 2017, after it was reported that he allegedly engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.
Hoda, 60, was named coanchor of Today alongside Savannah Guthrie after Matt was terminated.
In the years since Matt’s firing, “He’s been plotting a TV return for the longest time with little luck,” says the source, adding that teaming up with Hoda could be “his golden ticket” to success. “They could certainly commiserate on what a viper’s nest Today is.”
Hoda made her big announcement about leaving Today during the show’s September 26 episode. While many factors contributed to her departure, she made it clear during her announcement that she wanted more time to enjoy being a mom of two.
“Obviously I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have,” the broadcaster explained. “I feel like we only have a finite amount of time. And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world.”
Because she clearly doesn’t want to overwhelm herself with work, Matt is “already making overtures and saying she wouldn’t need to work full-time,” the In Touch source reveals. “He knows she’d want quality time with her kids, which was the whole point of her quitting the morning rat race.”
As for what they’ll collaborate on, “He’s throwing lots of options her way, maybe even a Matt and Hoda podcast,” the source says. “That’s how he’s luring her. And the truth is, she’s always had a soft spot for Matt.”
Still, things may take some time since Hoda’s final broadcast as a Today cohost will be in early 2025.
A joint venture with Matt “may not be in the realm as long as she’s with NBC,” says the source, “and her bosses would be wise to make it part of her deal not to walk off with Matt, but Matt’s determined to get back out there and prove himself.”
Adds the insider, “He’s convinced Hoda is the way.”
In a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hoda revealed that she still speaks with Matt following the slew of shocking allegations against him.
“Yeah, we keep in touch with him,” she said. “I mean look, this is one of those complex situations. I’ve known him since I started working at NBC [in 1998]. When I was sick with breast cancer, he was the first to call. He helps and helped in ways that … you know, he was incredible in that way. There is that Matt and then there’s the Matt that the accusers speak of. And those accusers’ voices matter and that story matters and it’s … It’s still tough, right?”
