Hoda Kotb, co-host of the Today Show, recently made a surprising confession on the newly launched show Today with Hoda & Jenna. The show kicked off with a special celebration to mark the 5th anniversary of Jenna Bush Hager’s book club, Read With Jenna. In her praise for her co-host, Hoda Kotb dropped some impressive stats about Read With Jenna. Out of the 63 books that have been picked by the book club, 41 became New York Times bestsellers and 32 were even optioned for film or television. However, Kotb also shocked everyone by revealing that she had only read two out of the 63 picks.
Jenna Bush Hager couldn’t believe her ears when she heard this and demanded to know how many books Kotb had actually read. Sheepishly, Kotb admitted to only reading one book from the book club. But Bush Hager seemed to recall that Kotb had actually read more than that. After some discussion, they narrowed it down to two books that Kotb had read, with one being “Pants on Fire,” or so she thought. Bush Hager corrected her, stating that the book was actually called “Nothing to See Here” by Kevin Wilson, which went on to become a New York Times bestseller.
As they laughed off the mix-up, it became clear that Kotb’s memory of the book titles was a bit fuzzy. She explained that the cover of “Nothing to See Here” had someone’s drawers on fire, which led her to believe it was called “Pants on Fire.” Despite the confusion, both hosts agreed that it was a fantastic book.
Earlier in their conversation, Bush Hager became emotional as Kotb praised her accomplishments with Read With Jenna. Kotb expressed how proud she was of Bush Hager and commended her for starting the book club with love. She stated that anyone can have an idea, but it takes someone like Bush Hager to make it work.
Bush Hager was touched by Kotb’s words and expressed her gratitude for being a part of Read With Jenna. It was evident that the book club meant a lot to her, and she was thrilled to see its success.
For fans of Today with Jenna and Hoda, the show airs on weekdays at 10/9c on NBC. With engaging conversations and heartfelt moments like this, it’s no wonder that viewers continue to tune in to see what surprises and emotions will unfold next.
