Hoda Kotb reveals truth about ‘Kelly Clarkson Show’ rumors as she returns to ‘Today’

Hoda Kotb denied rumors she is taking over Kelly Clarkson’s eponymous talk show during her “Today” show return.

While sitting with former co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin during Wednesday’s episode, she was forced to address the gossip head-on, saying, “Delete. Delete. That’s not true.

“I want to ask you all a real question,” she added. “Do you think that if I ever came back to TV … do you know the only place I would ever come back is? Right here, this is the spot. There’s no place like home.”

She also confirmed Page Six’s report that she will be appearing on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” next week. However, it would be just “for fun.”

After Page Six revealed that Clarkson was contemplating calling it quits on her show once her contract ends in 2026, rumors began to swirl that Kotb was on a short list to replace the singer.

However, multiple sources confirmed to us this week that she won’t be taking the “Since U Been Gone” singer’s spot as the journalist is focusing her efforts on her eponymous wellness brand.

Kotb explained Wednesday that she has been “prioritizing feeling healthy” since leaving the “Today” show. She then announced the launch of her health app, Joy 101, which curates a personalized program to help manage the user’s mental health.

Kotb is scheduled to join former co-star Jenna Bush Hager as a guest on “Today with Jenna & Friends” later Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday, Bush Hager, 43, revealed to viewers that Kotb would be making a fleeting return to her former post.

“For one day only, Hoda Kotb is back!” Bush Hager shared while teasing that her former partner-in-crime will be “announcing her new project.”

“We feel so excited,” Bush Hager added. “I was texting her at 5:30 this morning, as one does. I can’t wait!”

Kotb’s Wednesday appearance marked the first time she has returned to the anchor’s chair since saying her tearful goodbyes in January after 26 years with the network.

“Can I just say thank you? I haven’t been able to articulate it, because I’m a mess most times, but I just want to say thanks,” she said while crying through her last episode.

The veteran broadcaster announced that she would be ending her co-hosting reign in September 2024.

“I decided this is the right time for me to kind of move on. And so with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world,” she admitted at the time.

However, Kotb acknowledged that she would still return for occasional visits as she wasn’t ready to say goodbye for good.

Kotb decided it was time to hang up her “Today” show hat so she could focus on other endeavors in the wellness space.

She also wanted to spend more time with her two daughters: Haley Joy, 9, and Hope Catherine, 5.

“I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have,” she explained last year.