Jenna Bush Hager Is 'Frontrunner' to Replace Gifford

She's already a popular Today contributor
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 12, 2018 3:50 AM CST
Jenna Bush Hager Is 'Frontrunner' to Replace Gifford
Jenna Bush Hager watches the men's final of the US Open tennis tournament between Juan Martin del Potro, of Argentina, and Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018, in New York.   (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

With Kathie Lee Gifford leaving the Today show after 11 years, one of the show's most popular contributors is the hot favorite to replace her. NBC execs are believed to be "strongly considering" Jenna Bush Hager, the younger of former President George W. Bush's twin daughters, to take Gifford's seat in the show's fourth hour after she departs in April, Entertainment Tonight reports. Hager, 37, joined the show in 2009 and has regularly filled in for Gifford or co-host Hoda Kotb in Today's fourth hour. "It's looking like Jenna," a source tells People. "She's in the mix because she is a favorite among viewers and staffers and she has already filled in for Kathie Lee every time she’s been away." (Last year, Hager told Gifford a secret about grandmother Barbara Bush.)

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