New ‘Today’ anchor Hoda Kotb confirms she’s not making as much as Matt Lauer did

Culture

Hoda Kotb, the newly named co-anchor of NBC’s Today, told People that she’s not making as much money as her predecessor, Matt Lauer, confirming rumors that she and co-host Savannah Guthrie are making far less than Lauer did.

Lauer, who was ousted from the morning show in November after allegations of sexual harassment came to light, was rumored to be making around $20 million a year.

“The answer is no — that’s not happening,” Kotb told People in an interview published Wednesday, speaking about whether or not she’d be making as much as Lauer did.

“I think the whole money thing for me, I’ve always been sort of — I know it sounds ridiculous that I’m going to say this, but I really have done jobs I liked for the job ... because I never wanted to be happy every other Friday on pay day,” Kotb said. “Like, I didn’t want that to be the happy day. I wanted to feel good throughout. So no, I’m not making Matt Lauer money. Not even close.”

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Kotb was named a permanent Today anchor on Tuesday, after filling in alongside Guthrie. In announcing Kotb’s promotion, NBC News chairman Andy Lack lauded her as “remarkable” and praised her “undeniable connection” with Guthrie.

That same day, unnamed NBC sources told Page Six that Kotb had a $7 million-a-year deal — reportedly matching Guthrie’s salary but still far below what Lauer was making. Though Kotb confirmed the disparity to People in the piece published Wednesday, she avoided mentioning any specific numbers.

Pay disparity among male and female anchors has been in the news of late: In December, E! News co-host Catt Sadler, who anchored the program for more than a decade, left the network, saying she decided to leave after learning that she was making about half as much as her male co-host.