Why Is Jenna Bush Hager Absent From ‘Today’ This Week?

NBC’s Today kicked off the week without several of its main hosts.

Hoda Kotb continued to fill in for Savannah Guthrie on the show’s Monday, March 16, episode, as the search for her missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, continues in Arizona. Al Roker, however, was missing from Today‘s Studio 1A, and Dylan Dreyer filled in for him while reporting live from the 2026 Players Championship in Florida.

Also missing from the regular hosting lineup was Jenna Bush Hager. Justin Sylvester filled in for her on Monday’s episode of Today With Jenna & Friends, during which Sheinelle Jones explained that Bush Hager is currently on spring break.

However, Sylvester nearly missed his Jenna & Sheinelle guest-hosting gig, as he landed in New York City a little over two hours before the episode’s start. Sylvester was in California on Sunday, March 15, covering the 2026 Oscars for E! News.

“Girl, I brushed my teeth in the back of a car! I have never done this in my life,” Sylvester said of his hectic commute. “I was determined to be here with you this morning.”

Sylvester went on to reveal that his car got pulled over on his way to the Today set. “I dropped your name so hard!” he told Jones. Sylvester also used a post on the show’s Instagram page to emphasize his rush to the studio, stating, “Not only did I drop the name, thank God the flyer came out this morning because I pulled it up on Instagram. I was like, ‘You guys, I’m important today. I need to get here!’”

NBC

Jones was able to relate to Sylvester’s travel struggles. “That’s happened to me once. It’s almost a rite of passage when you work in morning television that one morning, either you oversleep, or you do whatever, and you have to speed,” she shared. “And I remember, for me, it was, like, four o’clock in the morning, and I’m speeding down the highway. And as soon as I saw the [police sirens], I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh!’ He pulled over, and he goes, ‘What are you doing?’ And I was like, ‘Oh! I’m so sorry. You can just give me the ticket. I’m on TV.’”

Jones said she showed the police officer a photo of herself on TV, joking, “I’m like, ‘This is me. I promise, when I get dressed up, that’s me!’”

Sylvester wrapped up his morning commute story on a funny note. “Just so you know, I’ve got to be honest. I told them I was Craig Melvin,” he quipped. “So Craig, if there is a warrant out for your arrest tomorrow, just know it wasn’t me!”

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According to the Jenna & Friends Instagram post, which Sylvester showed the officer who pulled him over, he will return to cohost the fourth hour of Today on Friday, March 20. This week’s lineup of celebrity guest hosts also includes Ashley Graham (Tuesday, March 17), Nia Long (Wednesday, March 18), and Darren Criss (Thursday, March 19).

Following Kotb’s exit from Today in January 2025, Bush Hager continued to cohost the fourth hour of Today with celebrity guest hosts under the name Today With Jenna & Friends. The show relaunched as Jenna & Sheinelle after Jones became her permanent cohost in January. This week marks the first time either Bush Hager or Jones has taken significant time off from the show since the new show began.

Today With Jenna & Sheinelle, Weekdays, 10a/9c, NBC