Fans of the Today Show may have been disappointed to see both Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie missing from the show again after lengthy absences earlier this month, but they are not at all mad about the latter's fill in.
Both hosts were absent from Wednesday, March 19th's installment of the show, but little was noted of the two host's whereabouts. It was revealed that Savannah is "on assignment," however when it came to the reason behind Hoda's absence, Sheinelle Jones and Craig Melvin simply said she was "off" with no further details.
While Sheinelle and Craig expertly took over during the early morning segment, it was Jenna Bush Hager's temporary co-host that totally made up for the absences in fans' eyes.
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Longtime NBC contributor Willie Geist was the star's co-host for the day, and fans had nothing but praise for the host, despite Hoda's absence.
As 4th Hour with Hoda and Jenna aired, viewers of the program took to the show's Instagram page to express their approval of Willie, writing: "Thank you for having Willie be your co-host Jenna, I love when he is on!!!" and: "I like [Jenna] with Willie too," as well as: "Nice show! Willie is great."
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Willie was also Hoda's replacement when she spent over a week away from NBC studios while tending to her youngest daughter, Hope Catherine, who spent several days hospitalized in the ICU.
© Photo: Getty ImagesWillie and Jenna have just as much hosting chemistry as she and Hoda
While Jenna surely missed having Hoda by her side, at the time, she too had nothing but praise for Willie for stepping up and being a great co-host.
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During another episode while Hoda was away, she gushed over his ability to adapt so seamlessly into his new role, telling him: "Can I just say, because you've been here for the last two weeks off and on, your range, going from Morning Joe, to here…" getting a prompt round of applause from the crew working behind the scenes.
Fans loved seeing Willie in for the day
"It's just really incredible," she added, and Willie praised the show in return, telling her: "This show is a breath of fresh air, I love it here."
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