Hoda Kotb was mysteriously missing from Tuesday’s (May 21) broadcast of Today With Hoda & Jenna, raising questions about where the longtime NBC anchor could be.

Instead, Jenna Bush Hager was joined by MSNBC and Sunday TODAY host Willie Geist, who has filled in for Kotb before on the show.

“Look who’s here, y’all! We got Willie,” Bush Hager announced at the top of the show.

“I’m always happy to be here,” Geist said. “[And] keep the seat warm for Hoda for a minute.”

The broadcast continued without a hitch, however, and Geist proved to be an entertaining replacement for Kotb. During the broadcast, he looked back on a recent appearance at a charity auction where he roped Bush Hager into taking a “huge, warm shot” with him and the bidders who won a bottle of tequila. “I had to work Sunday morning and they did not care,” he said of the experience.

He and Bush Hager later dug into a delectable platter of Red Lobster dishes after they joked that the restaurant chain was filing for bankruptcy after they offered too much unlimited shrimp. “This is why we can’t have nice things, America!” he exclaimed.

But Kotb’s absence was still very much felt. So, where could the Today host be?

Bush Hager briefly explained Kotb’s absence at the top of the show, saying the Today host is away “on assignment.”

DECIDER reached out to Today reps for more information but did not hear back in time of publication.

Both Bush Hager and Kotb have missed a couple of days recently, so much so Kotb joked that her co-host was “not allowed” to take anymore days off for the rest of the year.

It remains unclear when Kotb will be expected back on the show, but we hope it’s soon!

Today with Hoda & Jenna airs on weekdays at 10/9c on NBC.