Who could replace Hoda Kotb on “Today”? Here are some possible candidates for the gig

Hoda Kotb has announced her retirement, but who could replace her? Today?

On September 26, in an emotional moment, Kotb announced her plans to leave her role as co-host after 17 years. Sitting on a couch next to her colleagues Al Roker, Craig Melvin, Savannah Guthrie, Sheinelle Jones and her co-host Jenna Bush Hager, she tearfully shared the news while Guthrie, 52, and Bush Hager calmed her down.

The news was first announced in a letter to NBC morning show staff. “I know I'm making the right decision, but it's a painful one. And you all are the reason why. They say two things can be right at the same time, and I feel that so deeply right now. “I love you and it’s time for me to leave the show,” she wrote.

“My broadcasting career has been more than meaningful, a new decade of my life lies ahead of me and now my daughters and mother need and deserve a bigger piece of my time. “I will miss you all dearly, but I am ready and excited,” she continued.

No replacement has been named for a long time Today Although the co-host confirmed her departure from the daily newscast, there are several broadcasters, correspondents and podcast hosts who could be considered for the job. Check out the possible candidates for the coveted position below.

Craig Melvin

Melvin – a two-time Emmy Award winner – started on Today in 2018 when he was promoted to weekday news anchor after working for MSNBC and NBC News since 2011. The journalist is currently co-host of the show 3rd hour of today alongside Roker, Jones and Dylan Dreyer.

In August, Melvin told PEOPLE what it was like joining the morning show, sharing his gratitude for Roker and how warm and welcoming he was when he joined the group.

“I was new to the show and The Today Show is a very delicate ecosystem. It has been around for more than 70 years. “It's an American institution,” said Melvin, 45. “The inner circle is tight and protected.” They had invited me into the inner circle and he was the first to welcome me with open arms.

Willie Ghost

After years as a host Morning Joe and replacing anchors TodayGeist became a staple on the morning show in 2012. In 2016, the journalist was appointed solo presenter of Sunday TODAY where he talks about the news of the day and gives in-depth profiles on what shapes our culture.

In his Sunday Sitdowns, Geist chats with some of Hollywood's biggest names to learn the stories behind their success. The guest list includes John Krasinski, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Mindy Kaling, Kelly Clarkson, Chadwick Boseman and Melissa McCarthy.

Speaking to PEOPLE in July 2023, Geist confessed that he loves impressing his kids with his celebrity guests.

“I’m definitely approaching 50 now. So when someone comes along who is one of the younger celebrities, I check my gut on my kids,” Geist told PEOPLE about his two children, George and Lucie. “They said I had to interview Machine Gun Kelly, which turned out to be one of the best experiences we’ve had on the show, challenging and fun.”

Sheinelle Jones

Jones participated as part of the morning program in 2014 This weekend before she was named co-host 3rd hour of today in 2019.

At the time, Jones told PEOPLE what it was like working with her fellow co-anchors Roker, Melvin and Dreyer and how relaxed she found working with her news veterans.

“It's almost in the middle, before you get to the talk shows, and in the middle of the newscast — it's kind of a mix of both,” she explained in a July 2019 interview as the team celebrated the six-month anniversary of her new series . “The nice thing about it is that it’s authentic. It’s friends sitting around the table, and people are saying on social media that they feel like they’re with their friends, just talking.”

Katy Tur

Tur is a broadcast correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC, where she served as an anchor Katy Tur reports since 2021 with the latter. The journalist appeared frequently throughout her history at the station This morning, Today And Meet the press.

Tur, a dedicated journalist, has previously spoken about how she has combated misinformation and worked to educate her audience without influencing them as a broadcaster and reporter.

“If you are a journalist, not everyone will love you. And it’s not your job to be loved,” she said InStyle in April. “It's uncomfortable. And of course everyone wants to be liked. And I really want people to see the show.”

She continued: “But I want them to walk away thinking that I was fair and informed them; We have given them enough information so that they can make decisions in their lives on the best possible basis.”

Tom Lamas

Lamas is the host of the eponymous Top story with Tom Llamas To NBC News NOW since 2021 and has often stepped in for others Today Morning show hosts. The journalist has won several Emmy Awards for his reporting and, above all, he has been a central figure in it NBC News Now's 2022 election coverage.

In a conversation with PEOPLE in November 2022, the network discussed the importance of amplifying Latino voices and coverage in the news. In his lead newscast, Llamas has a segment entitled “The Americas,” which highlights current events in Latin America.

“As a Cuban American growing up in Miami, my family watched the news in English but also in Spanish for news from Latin America,” he explained. “I always found it strange that we had to do this – why shouldn’t the English-language news cover our neighbors to the south, the place where one of the fastest-growing groups of Americans comes from?”

He continued: “As presenter and editor-in-chief of Top storyI have a real responsibility to help choose the stories we cover. I consider it my duty to report on Latin America. Not because I’m Hispanic, but because I believe a well-informed country is a stronger country.”

Stephanie Rühle

Rühle is NBC News'Senior Business Analyst and Host MSNBC's The 11th Hour with Stephane Ruhle and has been since 2022. She is also a contributor to Today. Before her role as anchor, she was editor-in-chief and news anchor at Bloomberg.

In a conversation with PEOPLE in June 2019, Ruhle discussed her unique background in the news industry and how she was able to transition from her important banking job to a media position. Now that she's found her footing, the journalist confessed that she feels happier than ever.

“I didn’t expect that,” admitted Ruhle. “The best thing about getting older is that I'm actually happier as a 43-year-old than I was as a 33-year-old and as a 23-year-old because I'm trying to be someone else and fit in somewhere. I don't.”

Laura Jarrett

Jarrett was a co-host for Saturday Today since 2023.

When she spoke to PEOPLE about the role last September, the mother of two, 39, said she was thrilled by the “tumultuous” year in her life.

The mother of two welcomed her daughter June Tahay in the summer of 2023, just months before joining the network as NBC News' senior legal correspondent in January. Between the “busy news cycle” and raising her two children — daughter June, 13 months, and son James, 4 — Jarrett is looking forward to a “totally different variety of Saturdays.”

“I'm so happy that I get to work with Peter Alexander and that we can have fun and have conversations. “I’m excited for you to meet my family,” she said at the time. “I’m excited for audiences to see a side of me that’s different than what they’ve seen me before when it comes to murder trials, impeachments and prosecutions.”

Ana Cabrera

Before I started hosting at 10am MSNBC reports In 2023, Cabrera was an anchor for CNN Newsroom. After nine years at the news network, Cabrera confirmed in a statement that she would be leaving CNN in 2022 diversity at the time.

“My heart is full of gratitude for the incredible opportunities I have had at CNN to serve our viewers and work with exceptional journalists,” she told the medium. “But after nearly a decade at CNN, I am making the personal decision to begin a new professional chapter. Time to take on new challenges and opportunities.”

Alex Cooper

Although Cooper has no formal background in news, she is the name behind one of the most successful podcasts to date: Call her dad.

Cooper, who calls himself the “founding father,” has taken the podcast in a direction that has evolved tremendously since its release in 2018. Originally synonymous with the sex-heavy themes in what was described as “female locker room talk,” her podcast now says “a modern twist on feminism” is included in every episode aired, according to marketing materials.

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While Call her dad Covering a wide range of topics in typical podcast style, Cooper has become known for her in-depth interviews with Hollywood's A-listers. Guests included Miley Cyrus, Chelsea Handler, John Mayer, Kelsea Ballerini and fake German heiress Anna Delvey.

Cooper also reported on 2024 Olympic Games in Paris for peacock.