Hoda Kotb is a mainstay of early morning television, and she has the net worth to prove it. Thanks to a lucrative contract with NBC and multiple best-selling books, Hoda has a reported net worth of $30 million. But her Today show salary is complicated (to say the least), so let’s dive in!
First Up: Hoda’s Today Show Salary
As anyone whose parents still watch the morning news knows, Hoda has been a mainstay of early a.m. television for years. She’s been working with NBC since joining Dateline in 1998 and started hosting Today in 2007. We don’t know Hoda’s exact salary from the early days of her career, but she inked a new deal with NBC back in 2013—when a Politico source claimed, “Hoda was approached by other networks, shows, and syndicators, and after serious consideration, she realized nothing was better than drinking with Kathie Lee Gifford at 10 a.m. on the Today show.”
Hoda ended up taking over for Matt Lauer after he was fired following sexual harassment allegations, and naturally that came with a big raise. She’s allegedly earning $8 million to $10 million per year, but—according to Page Six—that’s a shocking $18 million less than Matt Lauer was making.
A Little More Info on This Major Pay Discrepancy
A “show insider” told Page Six that “Hoda isn’t complaining about the money. She has landed the big job she always dreamed of, and most definitely deserves. Plus, Matt’s salary reflected the long time he was on the show—25 years. If things go well, Hoda could ask for more next time if she re-ups her contract. But the figures underline the huge wage disparity at NBC News.”
And Page Six also noted that Megyn Kelly’s NBC deal is “as high as $20 million a year” for the 9:00 a.m. hour, which… 😑
Meanwhile, according to Variety, “Salaries grow the longer a person stays in a particular position. In the recent past, Lauer signed new deals every two or three years, and it’s easy to see how compensation might grow substantially at that rate, particularly when he held the same role for at least two decades.”
Let’s hope Hoda’s salary will also increase rapidly.
Hoda Has Actually Spoken Out About Her Today Salary
Speaking to People about whether she and co-anchor Savannah Guthrie would make as much as Matt Lauer, Hoda explained, “The answer is no—that’s not happening.”
She then said, “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. 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.”
She’s Written Multiple Best-Selling Books
Hoda has published a ton of books, and they’ve pretty much been instant best sellers! Which basically guarantees she’s getting large advances, not to mention extra money in sales.
Hoda Has $$$ Tied Up in Real Estate
First of all, Hoda has a massive apartment with a gorgeous view in New York City, which you can see here:
And she also has a home in Long Island, which Celebrity Net Worth reports is worth a casual $2 million. So yes…in conclusion, Hoda is doing just fine! But also, give her a raise, NBC!
Mehera Bonner is a celebrity and entertainment news writer who enjoys Bravo and Antiques Roadshow with equal enthusiasm, She was previously entertainment editor at Marie Claire and has covered pop culture for over a decade.