MSNBC and Sunday TODAY host Willie Geist filled in for Hoda Kotb Thursday (July 18), giving him and Jenna Bush Hager the chance to talk about their budding acting careers.
Geist, who recently made an appearance on the final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, asked Bush Hager about her experience filming her cameo for the upcoming Hallmark film Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.
“It was so much fun!” she told Geist. “I heard that you were in a [episode of] Curb so I called my agent and I was like, ‘Uh, why is Willie the only one getting the acting gigs?’ And I nailed a Hallmark movie.”
But she later admitted that this new career path may not be for her. “I think I don’t have the patience to be an actor because there’s a lot of lounging time,” she told Geist.
Geist agreed. “I know, we do live TV. We go on at a certain time, it’s over at a certain time. Whatever happens, happens. If it doesn’t go well, you do it the next day,” he said. “This is like you’re in the trailer and they’re like, ‘Hey we’re running about 45 minutes over.’ So I went from [feeling] like so grateful to have been on the show, to two hours in I’m like, ‘Hey guys, are we gonna get going?'”
Fans tuning in to Today With Hoda & Jenna may have been disappointed to see that Kotb wasn’t on the air. So, where was Kotb? Read on for more info.
Bush Hager announced at the top of the show that Kotb is “off” for the day, which could mean that the Today anchor will be back on the show sooner than we think. Decider reached out to NBC for further information.
The last time Geist filled in for Kotb on the show, Bush Hager admitted that it wasn’t the same doing the show without her.
“I’m so glad you’re home!” Bush Hager said. While she agreed that Geist was a fun co-host, she told Kotb, “I also missed you, nobody stands in nicely for you.”
During the broadcast, she and Geist enjoyed some biscuits and all-you-can-eat shrimp to bid farewell to Red Lobster, which was poised to close several locations at the time.
“You know, it just wasn’t the same without you. All-you-can-eat shrimp at 10:01, it works with Willie, but it’s not exactly the same as with you,” Bush Hager told her co-host.
It’s quite common for other Today anchors or correspondents to fill in for Kotb and Bush Hager on the show. Earlier this week, Justin Sylvester filled in for Bush Hager as she was away in Kansas City filming Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.
Today with Hoda & Jenna airs on weekdays at 10/9c on NBC.