Jenna Bush Hager replaced by very famous face on the Today Show Hoda Kotb reacts

The Fourth Hour of the Today Show had a star-studded shakeup!

Jenna Bush Hager was absent from Thursday's episode of , and Hoda Kotb was joined instead by a very familiar face! 

At the beginning of the show, Hoda walked out with none other than Rita Ora, who was dressed in a tiny off-the-shoulder cut-out top, teamed with a pair of skin-tight pants, looking stylish with her hair slicked back. 

"It feels so warm, I feel so comfortable and at home already. Being from across the pond, this is what we watch on TV. So hello America, it's me, Rita!" she told the audience. 

"I feel like you're one of those people who knows what they want, and they go and get it," Hoda told Rita, gushing. 

What's more, Rita went on to reveal that she'd had her hair cut just before going on air for her Today hosting debut, leaving Hoda lost for words.

The star-studded episode later saw Jennifer Lopez sit down with Hoda, who opened up about her latest album, This Is Me Now, as well as her love story, This Is Me Now.. A Love Story, her film about searching for love. 

"It was 18 years since we got back together, there's still so much we're learning about each other after being together for three years. That's the beauty of it. When you find someone you can love in that way, that doesn't change. Love isn't a straight line." 

"As an artist you have to show up as your authentic self and do something that means a lot to you. This is by no means autobiographical, some things are in there for dramatic purposes, but it is all things that I understand. 

"And as a hopeless romantic, they are all part of my journey. But I wouldn't call it autobiographical." 

Jenna's absence wasn't explained on the show, but it's likely that the Reading with Jenna star was spending time with her family or working on her other projects. 

The daughter of George W. Bush has been working on the Fourth Hour alongside Hoda since 2019, when Kathie Lee Gifford retired. In April, she marked four years working with Hoda, which was honored by Today with a heartfelt montage posted on social media. 

Alongside the clip, it read: "Four years ago today, @hodakotb and @jennabuager began co-hosting together on the 4th hour of TODAY. Take a look back at the laughs and tears we’ve shared along the way." 

Jenna is a much-loved member of the Today family who is close to the anchors both on and off air. She recently went on vacation with Savannah Guthrie, with the pair taking their daughters to Florida for some much-needed sun. 

As well as hoting, Jenna has a popular segment on the program - Read with Jenna - where she selects a book each month, inviting viewers to join in and read along with her. 

She has also written a number of books herself, including a children's story, The Superpower Sisterhood, and Love Comes First, both of which she co-wrote with her twin sister, Barbara Bush.

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