‘Today’s Al Roker Reveals if Hoda Kotb Will Stick Around on the Show

Despite saying goodbye to Today last year, Hoda Kotb remains a frequent face on the NBC morning show.

Kotb has made several appearances on the series since her January 2025 exit, promoting new projects and sharing heartwarming stories. Recently, Kotb filled in for Savannah Guthrie as she took time off following her mother Nancy Guthrie‘s disappearance in February.

Earlier this month, she joined Savannah at the anchor desk for the first time in a year to replace Craig Melvin during his week-long spring break.

“Hoda’s here! I still feel every time we walk out, people are like, ‘Could she possibly [come back]?’ Yes! Now, she’s here. We’re so glad to have you this week,” Savannah exclaimed during the show’s April 13 episode. Kotb, for her part, told Savannah she was “so happy to be sitting back in this chair next to you this week, too.”

While Kotb isn’t re-joining the Today cast in a full-time capacity, Al Roker says she’s not stepping away from the show anytime soon. “Oh, listen. Hoda has never gone very far away, which is great, because she is family,” Roker exclusively told TV Insider while promoting the Mother’s Day episode of his PBS Kids series, Weather Hunters.

He continued, “We had a running gag, ‘cause when she’d come back to do something, it was like, ‘Oh, look who’s back from vacation!’ Hoda is part of the family, and family members come and go. They come back. They’re hanging around, come back for a vacation. They’re gone. They’re back. So the more we can see Hoda, the better.”

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Roker and Kotb share a sweet friendship off the small screen. Back in January, Kotb celebrated Roker’s 30th anniversary on Today by posting several photos of him with her two daughters, Haley and Hope, and family members via Instagram. She captioned the upload, “@alroker !! Happy #aliversary — 30 years @todayshow you don’t miss a moment … thx for loving us all! Xo.”

Roker thanked Kotb for her kind words in the post’s comments, writing, “You made this time so sweet.”

Like many of the Today hosts, Kotb has previously shared how her kids are big fans of Weather Hunters. The show, which premiered on PBS Kids last year, stars Roker as a father who teaches his three kids about all things weather-related.

“That’s been the nice thing is that my Today show family, their kids have watched it and enjoyed it,” he told TV Insider. Recalling a recent encounter with a young fan, he added, “I was at the grocery store, and this woman said, ‘Oh, Jimmy, Jimmy! That’s Al Hunter!’ You could see the kid [was] kind of like, ‘Huh? What? Huh?’ I think it’s kind of hard for [kids], especially for a three or four-year-old, five-year-old, to figure out, ‘OK, that doesn’t look like that person.’”

Related

'Today's Hoda Kotb & Al Roker Celebrate Their Mothers' Birthdays

Roker noted that it’s “kind of fun to be known for something else” outside of Today, especially for something that he’s “really proud of.”

Weather Hunters will return for an all-new episode, titled “Mother’s Day Rainbow,” on Monday, May 4. As the title suggests, the episode will follow Al Hunter as he teaches his kids about rainbows while preparing a colorful Mother’s Day surprise for his wife, Dot Hunter, voiced by Holly Robinson Peete.

“I think a lot of families will see themselves in the Hunters, and that’s what I want people to take away from it,” Roker told TV Insider. “That they see themselves in these characters, and that the show fosters a love and appreciation of not just their family, but also of the world around them, when it comes to our environment, our climate, and the weather. That those things are all intertwined, and that the appreciation of what happens outside your window, both good and bad, is very special.”

Weather Hunters, New Episode, Monday, May 4, PBS Kids

Today, Weekdays, 7am, NBC