Hoda Kotb Responds to Reports That She Won't Make as Much Money as Matt Lauer
This week, Hoda Kotb officially started as the new co-anchor of the Today show, replacing Matt Lauer, who was fired after being accused of inappropriate sexual behavior. But even though she's replacing him, plus staying on as a cohost with Kathie Lee Gifford, she's not making anything close to Lauer's massive salary.
In an interview with People, Kotb confirmed that she's not making "Matt Lauer money" even though she has replaced him on the show. When asked whether her salary would be comparable to Lauer's, Kotb responded, "The answer is no-that's not happening." Guthrie added, "For either of us."
To be clear, Kotb and Guthrie are taking home enviable salaries as Today show co-anchors. Though they didn't confirm exactly how much they would be making, sources told Page Six that they each would be taking home $7 million a year, while Lauer raked in a whopping $25 million a year as part of his deal. So their salaries combined are less than Lauer's paycheck.
Though the disparity is undoubtedly a large one, and some critics are pointing to the gender pay gap, Variety reports there might be a standard reason for the disparity. In the TV industry, according to their analysis, networks often see a new anchor taking over for an established one as an opportunity to cut costs, and those anchors may renegotiate their contracts every few years to make more money, as Lauer did through his career to reach that $25 million mark.
On top of that, anchors like Kotb and Guthrie don't have the sway they used to, since people get their news from so many different outlets these days. That said, though, their Today show colleague, Megyn Kelly, is reportedly making at least $17 million a year as part of her deal. An NBC spokesperson told Variety that they do not comment on compensation.
Kotb elaborated on the salary issue to People. "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 I liked because I never wanted to be happy every other Friday on pay day," she 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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