Kelly Clarkson could be moving on from her NBC talk show, and the network has a TV legend in mind to replace her.
Hoda Kotb – less than four months after her final broadcast on NBC’s The Today show after a 17-year stint – is among the top names being bandied about to step in for the outgoing Clarkson, 43.
‘There’s a long list of names and Hoda is part of that list,’ a network source told Page Six Thursday. ‘NBC never wanted Hoda to leave. The question is, would Hoda want to do it?’
Kotb’s good reputation, built-in support from Today show viewers and strong track record makes her an ideal candidate to replace the outgoing Clarkson, 43, the insider told the publication.
‘Hoda ticks a lot of boxes,’ the source said. ‘She’s an Egyptian, older Kelly Clarkson.’
Dailymail.com has reached out to reps for Clarkson and Kotb for further comment on this story.
Kelly Clarkson, 43, could be moving on from her NBC talk show, and the network has a TV legend in mind to replace her
Clarkson and Hoda Kotb, 60, pictured in 2023 on the Today show, which Kotb left this year
In addition, the source told the outlet, Kotb ‘is well-liked by the higher-ups and already has close relationships with executives.’
Read More Hoda Kotb ditches glam TV look for ‘natural’ appearance as she shares glimpse into life after Today 
The source told the outlet that Clarkson’s TV career is linked to her music career: ‘If the album doesn’t do well, she might want to keep her talk show – but she has a lot going on and the timing may be right for the next chapter.’
Maria Shriver was also mentioned as a potential Clarkson replacement, the source said.
The Today show’s Savannah Guthrie in January joked that her friend and colleague Hoda Kotb left behind a ‘disgusting’ mess after she left the NBC daytime broadcast earlier this year.
The Sandringham, Australia-born TV personality, 53, appeared January 15 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, opposite her new co-host Craig Melvin, 45.
In a segment, she commented on a video she sH๏τ as she cleaned out the workspace left by Kotb who departed the show in January.
Guthrie, who has co-hosted the Today show for more than a dozen years, recalled in detail the debris left in Kotb’s work area following her departure from the New York City office.
Kotb’s good reputation, built-in support from Today show viewers and strong track record makes her an ideal candidate to replace the outgoing Clarkson, 43, the insider told the publication. Pictured earlier this month
The Today show’s Savannah Guthrie, 53, joked Wednesday on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that Hoda Kotb, 60, left a ‘disgusting’ mess after she left the morning show
‘It’s a new era, it’s the Craig era, and we go and we sit on the set and there are these trays,’ Guthrie said. ‘It might have a mint or whatever it is; .
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‘We realized that all of the trays, they were all Hoda’s stuff and it was, like, one contact and expired bean dip and belly ʙuттon lint and all this stuff.’
Guthrie, who also serves as NBC News’ chief legal correspondent, said in the clip she recorded to Kotb, ‘Oh, hey girl – guess you didn’t want any of this s***! Don’t mind me … love you.’
In the clip, Guthrie displayed a clear plastic organizing tray Kotb cluttered with a hodgepodge of unrelated items, which she then tossed into a nearby wastebasket.
She commented of the clip, ‘Look at the tray – it had rust and barnacles on it – I mean, it was disgusting!’
Fallon, 50, recalled how he once saw Kotb toting a purse that was bursting at the seams with materials.
‘It looks like a binder of papers – it looked like my dad’s old wallet,’ Fallon said.
Guthrie said Kotb would use a clear Ziploc bag in lieu of a purse to carry essential to red carpet events, such as ‘a banana and a tampon.’
Kotb pictured January 10 in NYC as she was honored in leaving the show after a 17-year stint
Guthrie, who has co-hosted the Today show for more than a dozen years, appeared opposite her new co-host Craig Melvin, 45, on the NBC late night talk show earlier this year
In the clip, Guthrie displayed a clear plastic organizing tray Kotb cluttered with a hodgepodge of unrelated items
Kotb’s last day working on the Today show came January 10, as Fallon was among the notable names to show up and honor the veteran TV host, presenting her with a framed portrait of the NBC peacock as seen in the hallways of the network’s New York headquarters.
Read More Inside Hoda Kotb’s history-making career amid emotional Today show exit 
Fallon told Kotb he тιтled the picture Onward and Upward ’cause you’re getting on the elevator and going up, right?
‘But then I signed it, and then no one can read my writing. My handwriting’s so bad so it looks like it says Osmond and Uptown.’
Kotb praised both Guthrie and Melvin in an emotional segment on the broadcast, saying, ‘Savannah, oh, my God – you’re my person, you’re my person.
‘You know who shows up for everybody? This girl … she’s in the room, she’s always in the room, and I love you.’
She told Melvin: ‘Craig, I’m so happy for you. You’ve earned this, you own this and come Monday at 7:00 a.m., I am gonna be ᴅᴇᴀᴅ asleep – but you’re gonna be fantastic.
Kotb – pictured appearing on Clarkson’s show – is mother to two daughters with former fiancé Joel Schiffman, Haley, nine, and Hope, five
‘You’re gonna bring it home – Craig, you’re gonna be so good – you and Savannah are gonna be magic.’
Kotb – who will continue to make special appearances on NBC, including Olympics coverage – is mother to two daughters with former fiancé Joel Schiffman, Haley, nine, and Hope, five.
Following her longtime stint on the Today show, she will focus her efforts toward raising her children, as well as business endeavors including a forthcoming wellness app.
‘I decided, like, let’s build something there and let’s build something that’s good for anybody, for like, everybody,’ the Norman, Oklahoma-born TV personality told Page Six on January 9. ‘Affordable, comfortable, all those things. So we’re going to be doing an app and retreats and newsletter.’
