Where is Hoda Kotb? Willie Geist forced to step in on ‘Today With Hoda & Jenna’

nypost.com:

Hoda Kotb during “Today With Hoda & Jenna” Wednesday.Geist, 48, and co-host Jenna Bush Hager, 42, made no mention of Kotb’s absence from the program despite the 59-year-old anchor being present for the first two hours of the NBC morning show.“Not only can Willie host all the shows on television, and pull out my chair … but he also is a star,” Bush Hager gushed before turning the conversation to Geist’s most recent role on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Continuing to praise her co-host’s acting abilities, Bush Hager proclaimed that she could see Geist becoming “a soap star” once he decided to leave the show. “I think you could be on, like, ‘The Young and the Restless,’ ” the former first daughter quipped.

Taking the comment in stride, Geist said he was “too old now” to do anything soap opera-related but joked that he could potentially be on “The Golden Bachelor.” (Geist has been married to wife Christina since 2003.)The Post reached out to both Kotb and NBC for comment.

Two viewers were quick to notice and comment on Kotb’s absence. “Where’s Hoda,” one user asked on X. “All that and bonus Geist,” a second fan said.

Kotb, who has been sharing hosting duties with Bush Hager since 2008, was also absent last week. She was taking time off with her daughters — Haley, 7, and Hope, 4 — during their spring break at the time.Kotb has her children with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman.“Beautiful days … magical nights,” she captioned Instagram photos from their Mexico getaway. “It felt restful and great and amazing,” Kotb shared Monday. “I had an actual vacation.”Last year, she also stepped away from the news desk for a bit due to a “family health matter.” “We can tell you that Hoda has a family health matter that she’s been dealing with,” fellow.