What Happened With Kelly Rowland? Today Show Walk Off

Kelly Rowland left NBC’s Today in a lurch on February 15, 2024, when she bailed on cohosting the fourth hour of the show with Hoda Kotb at the last minute. Fans want to know the reasons why Kelly did it, who replaced her and what the singer has had to say since then.

What Happened With Kelly Rowland’s Today Show Walk Off?

The former Destiny’s Child singer appeared on the show’s 8 a.m. hour to promote her new Netflix movie, the Tyler Perry-produced Mea Culpa. Everything seemed to go well, as Kelly looked immaculate with flawless makeup, her short bob haircut in a straight center part and donned a stylish denim dress for the interview.

That wasn’t to be the last viewers saw of Kelly though, as she was scheduled to return in the 10 a.m. hour to cohost with Hoda. However, she reportedly bolted after being displeased with her dressing room.

“Kelly and her team were not happy. They did not like the dressing room, so they decided to pull her off the show, leaving [Hoda] without a guest host for the 10 a.m. hour,” a source close to the situation told Page Six at the time.

Today With Hoda & Jenna staffers reportedly did everything they could to offer Kelly options, including those of the show’s talent and larger rooms featuring hair and makeup areas, but to no avail.

“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,” the insider continued.

Who Replaced Kelly Rowland After She Walked Off Today?

The show was able to grab singer Rita Ora with time ticking to cohost alongside Hoda, as Jenna Bush was off.

Rita confirmed her appearance was a last-minute scramble but one she was happy to make. In an Instagram post on February 16, she shared photos of her looking glam on set, wearing a black strapless dress and camera-ready hair and makeup.

“Well, this happened! We had two minutes to prepare ahhh, thank you @hodaandjenna for asking me to cohost the show … Everyone was so lovely and kind, I had SO much fun doing it!!” Rita wrote in the caption, adding, “Love to everyone that tuned in, maybe we should do more??!!!?

What Did Hoda Kotb Say About Kelly Rowland Bailing on Today?

After the controversy surrounding Kelly failed to die down, Hoda and Jenna had a very friendly and diplomatic discussion about it during their show on February 20.

“I just want to 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,” Hoda explained as Jenna chimed in, “She is welcome any time.” Her partner gushed in response, “Of course she is!”

Hoda seemed to confirm that Kelly’s dressing room situation was why walked away from cohosting.

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“She can share my dressing room! We’ll be in it together! Anyway, I just wanted to say that we love her. We’ve loved her on this show for many, many, many years,” the Oklahoma native added.

What Has Kelly Rowland Said About Not Cohosting Today?

Kelly has not addressed the issue herself.

“After 28 years of knowing her, Kelly Rowland remains one of the kindest, most amiable humans I have ever met and have had the blessing to represent,” Kelly’s rep, Yvette Noel-Schure, told Entertainment Tonight in a statement on February 20, while not addressing the Today controversy.

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