Hoda Kotb Breaks Silence on Kelly Rowland Walking Off Today Set, Invites Singer to Co-Host and Share Dressing Room

Hoda Kotb broke her silence amid reports Kelly Rowland walked off her co-hosting gig on Today over dressing room issues.

The 59-year-old host extended another invitation to the Destiny’s Child singer, 43, during Tuesday’s episode of Today with Hoda & Jenna, stating that she is always welcome back on set. 

‘I just wanna say this, I have great love and admiration for Kelly Rowland. I adore her. And I want her to come back on our show, and I want her to host again,’ she explained. 

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‘She can share my dressing room — we’ll be in it together!’ the TV presenter quipped. 

Hoda’s longtime co-host Jenna Bush Hager, who had scheduled a day off last Thursday when Kelly was expected to step in, concurred, saying the star is ‘welcome anytime’ because ‘she’s the best.’

Hoda Kotb broke her silence amid reports Kelly Rowland walked off her co-hosting gig on Today over dressing room issues 

The 59-year-old host extended another invitation to the Destiny’s Child singer, 43, during Tuesday’s episode of Today with Hoda & Jenna, stating that she is always welcome back on set; Kelly arriving to Today on Thursday

Hoda added, ‘I just want to say we love her and we’ve loved her on this show for many, many years.’

Jenna then recalled Kelly’s debut on the Today show, exclaiming, ‘Remember the first time she was a guest and we both said, “Can she please host?”‘

It was reported on Friday that Kelly was unhappy with the dressing room that was being offered so she opted to depart the set last minute. Rita Ora stepped up to fill in. 

‘On another note too, we just want to give a shoutout to Rita Ora, who kind of came in at the last second and really did a phenomenal job,’ concluded Hoda on Tuesday’s episode. 

The reaction comes after Bethenny Frankel, who previously co-hosted Today, dragged Kelly while addressing the drama in a since-deleted TikTok video she shared on Friday.

While she admitted the makeup area was tiny and the food service left something to be desired, the Skinny Girl mogul, 53, insisted it was a time to be ‘gracious’. 

‘It’s an institution of entertainment,’ Bethenny said of the iconic morning show. ‘And it’s an honor to be there and to sit down with Hoda [Kotb]’. 

‘That was not the moment for diva expectations,’ she added. 

‘I just wanna say this, I have great love and admiration for Kelly Rowland. I adore her. And I want her to come back on our show, and I want her to host again,’ she explained

Hoda’s longtime co-host Jenna Bush Hager, who had scheduled a day off last Thursday when Kelly was expected to step in, concurred, saying the star is ‘welcome anytime’ because ‘she’s the best’ 

‘She can share my dressing room — we’ll be in it together!’ the star quipped, after reports Kelly walked out on the guest hosting job, expressing dissatisfaction with Today’s dressing rooms

Back in July 2023, Bethenny sat across from Hoda on the Today set as a sub for mainstay Jenna Bush Hager.

Bethenny’s harsh words come after Rita revealed she was asked to step in as a last-minute guest host on Thursday’s Today.

The British pop star, 33, took to her Instagram on Friday to share a fun photo carousel of her time on the morning show and admitted that it all came together in the eleventh hour.

‘Well, this happened! We had two minutes to prepare,’ she captioned the snaps.

‘Ahhh, thank you @hodaandjenna for asking me to co-host the show… Everyone was so lovely and kind, I had SO much fun doing it!! Love to everyone that tuned in, maybe we should do more??!!!’

Rita’s post comes hours after it was claimed that Kelly walked out on the guest hosting job, expressing dissatisfaction with Today’s dressing rooms. 

The move by the 43-year-old singer- who has been on the promotional trail for new Tyler Perry film  Mea Culpa –  left Today scrambling, according to sources for Page Six on Friday.

DailyMail.com reached out to representatives for Rowland and have yet to hear back. 

The reaction comes after Bethenny Frankel , who previously co-hosted Today, dragged Kelly while addressing the drama in a since-deleted TikTok video she shared on Friday.; co-hosting with Hoda Kotb in July 2023

‘It’s an institution of entertainment,’ Bethenny said of the iconic morning show. ‘And it’s an honor to be there and to sit down with Hoda [Kotb] That was not the moment for diva expectations,’ Bethenny added

Kelly did appear for an interview segment on her new project during the 8am hour of Today.

However, the publication reports that she was expected to fill in for Jenna Bush Hager during the fourth hour as she was to guest host Today With Hoda & Jenna.

Insiders for the publication claim that Kelly dropped out at the last minute due to the dressing room not being ‘up to snuff’ as the 59-year-old television presenter Hoda was left ‘scurrying to find a replacement.’

The insider told the publication: ‘Kelly and her team were not happy. They did not like the dressing room, so they decided to pull her off the show, leaving [Kotb] without a guest host for the 10 a.m. hour.’

They told Page Six the the singer-turned-actress’s abrupt exit was a bit of a surprise.

A source said: She’s beloved at ‘Today.’ She was getting the full hour, and Hoda’s the biggest hype woman on the planet! It made no sense.’

The insiders told the publication that Rowland along with her team played a game of ‘musical dressing rooms.’

Her entourage was said to have inquired about the green room upstairs because ‘they didn’t like the one she was in.’

Rita Ora revealed she was asked to step in as a last-minute guest host on Thursday’s Today 

‘Ahhh, thank you @hodaandjenna for asking me to co-host the show… Everyone was so lovely and kind, I had SO much fun doing it!! Love to everyone that tuned in, maybe we should do more??!!!’

However Jennifer Lopez was occupying the room at he time as she arrived there earlier to promote her new album and film This Is Me… Now.

Page Six also reports that the dressing rooms on Today are notoriously known as some of the smallest in the industry with one source telling them they are practically ‘glorified closets.’

The source said: ‘They’re not nice. It’s the oldest building. There are major space limitations, [it’s] not glamorous. It’s not fresh flowers, and candles and gourmet food. It’s basically [a] white box.’

Today stars Sheinelle Jones and Dylan Dreyer have previously showed their dressing rooms in 2021 and they did not look pretty. 

Insiders for the publication claim that producers on the chat show had offered the star several other options including talent dressing rooms and larger make-up and hair areas.

They explained: ‘They didn’t want that. [The show] basically offered up as much as possible, but they weren’t happy with it, so they walked and they left.’

Hoda was able to find a last minute replacement in Rita Ora who replaced Kelly and is said to have ‘happily’ taken a dressing room previously used by Kelly.

Rita’s post comes hours after it was claimed that Kelly walked out on the guest hosting job, expressing dissatisfaction with Today’s dressing rooms; pictured at Thursday’s Today

Today stars Sheinelle Jones and Dylan Dreyer have previously showed their dressing rooms in 2021 and they did not look pretty

Meanwhile in Mea Culpa, Rowland plays a criminal defense attorney who takes a case involving an artist (Trevante Rhodes) murdering his girlfriend.

Filming took place last March at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, with additional photography taking place in Chicago.

The film also stars Sean and Nick Sagar, RonReaco Lee, Shannon Thornton and Angela Robinson.

Rowland also served as a producer on the film alongside Perry, Areu and Angi Bones and the film is streaming on Netflix now.