Rita Ora replaces Kelly Rowland as guest host for 'Today'
Hoda Kotb and Rita Ora
Nathan Congleton/NBCRita Ora to replace Kelly Rowland as a guest host of Today with Hoda and Jenna on Friday, February 16, with only a short notice.
“Well, this happened! We had two minutes to prepare ahhh, thank you @hodaandjenna for asking to co-host the show,” Ora, 33, wrote via Instagram later on Friday. “Everyone was so sweet and kind, I had SO much fun doing it!! 💗💗💗 I love everyone who tuned in, maybe we should do more??!!!”
Ora was originally booked as a guest on Friday's broadcast, where her upcoming stint as a judge was to be discussed The Masked Singer and her next album. She was said to have been interviewed by Hoda Kotb and Rowland, who fills in as anchor Jenna Bush Hager.
Multiple media outlets reported earlier on Friday that Rowland, 43, had an issue in the dressing room and abruptly left the set in New York City. She was interviewed on an earlier hour of the NBC morning program and was announced to host the third hour with Kotb. The Destiny's Child alum has not addressed the incident. We weekly reached out for comment.
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Today also made no mention of the scandal on air and remained focused on Ora's appearance and reporting the news. The last-minute hosting switcheroo wasn't the only change of the day for the British pop star.
Kelly Rowland
Gotham/GC Images“Can I just talk about this? I cut my hair at 7am this morning,” Ora joked. “I just had something real. Me and my hairdresser were like, 'Let's just cut my hair off,' and now here I am co-hosting the show with you. What is my morning? I think for this!”
She continued, “Honestly, I didn't even know this was happening. Everyone watches: this was so much fun and they asked for it [me] backstage and I was like, 'I love Hoda. Can I do this?' And here we are, now we've been with you for a whole hour.
Ora cited 'jet lag' as her last-minute reason for cutting her long locks into a short bob.
Rita Ora's red carpet looks are just as amazing as her lyrics. The 'For You' singer never shies away from sultry moments. She always brings the unexpected to the red carpet – from bold silhouettes to daring color combinations. In a January 2022 interview with Vogue, the “Let Me Love You” singer shared her […]
“Well, I woke up this morning thinking I was just going to have an interview with you… and I just wanted a fresh start in 2024,” she explained. “Dimitris [Giannetos]who does my hair [for] to me, was like, 'Let's just chop it off,' and then we put some color in and now we're here… in two hours.”
Ora lives mainly in New Zealand with her husband, Taika Waititi. They married in August 2022 and publicly confirmed their marriage a year later, on their first anniversary. They also split time in Los Angeles and London.