Jenna Bush Hager will soon be losing her partner in crime with Hoda Kotb retires from Today in 2025, but one report suggests this may be her chance to demand more from NBC.
An inside source alleged to Closer that Bush Hager will be demanding pay parity to stay on the fourth hour of Today after Kotb’s exit.
“Jenna’s coming from a place of strength now that Hoda’s going and the show needs her,” the insider said.
Bush Hager reportedly makes $4 million per year, a shocking amount compared to the annual salaries Kotb and Savannah Guthrie bring home, which are estimated to be north of $20 million.
“It’s not like she needs the money,” the source said. “It’s a matter of principle. Savannah gets double what she makes, and it’s not fair if Jenna’s doing the same amount of work, which she is. Jenna’s right up there with Savannah and Al [Roker].”
The source claimed NBC will want to “keep the status quo” amid Kotb’s exit to avoid “another shake-up.”
“They’ll have to cough up to avoid pissing off Jenna,” the insider said.
But the report claims Bush Hager could be crossing a line with her demands.
“People close to the situation say Jenna’s going to have a hard time explaining all this to Savannah,” the source shared. “Savannah has been in this business a lot longer than Jenna, and she’s going to resent the intrusion upon her queen bee status.”
It’s unclear just how much Bush Hager will be able to make if NBC agrees to her demands. A recent report from Puck claimed that NBC proposed to slash Kotb’s pay amid declining ratings before she announced her departure from the show.
“NBC executives loved Hoda and knew her value to the brand, but also made clear to her agents that such stratospheric contracts were no longer justifiable given the industry’s inexorable decline,” Puck reported after she announced her retirement.
The report also noted that the network will likely offer Kotb’s replacement “a lot less than $20 million.”
Kotb is not set to retire until early 2025. But NBC is reportedly looking for other ways to keep the daytime star on the air, Closer‘s insider said.
NBC is “desperate to keep her in the fold and ease her into a more serious anchor role for prime-time specials,” such as late-night television, they alleged.