Kelly Rowland Bailed On Hosting ‘Today With Hoda & Jenna’ Because She Was “Not Happy” With Her Dressing Room: Report 

Rita Ora co-hosted the fourth hour of Today with Hoda Kotb on Thursday (Feb. 16) after an apparent backstage mix-up. The pair hit it off despite making it very clear that Ora had only been asked to cohost “five minutes before we went on the air.” But a new report clears up why that is: singer Kelly Rowland, who was originally scheduled to guest-host with Kotb, allegedly walked off the set because the dressing rooms were not up to par.

“Kelly and her team were not happy,” an inside source told Page Six. “They did not like the dressing room, so they decided to pull her off the show, leaving [Kotb] without a guest host for the 10 a.m. hour.”

Rowland had already appeared as a guest during the 8AM hour of Today to promote her upcoming movie with Tyler Perry, Mea Culpa.

The source continued, “She’s beloved at Today. She was getting the full hour, and Hoda’s the biggest hype woman on the planet! It made no sense.” Indeed, despite the mix-up, Kotb spent much of the hour praising Ora for for gracefully filling in at such a short notice.

Apparently, Rowland and her team played a game of “musical dressing rooms” as they searched for a room that was up to par. They also inquired about a green room that was already occupied by Jennifer Lopez, who was waiting to be interviewed by Kotb during that hour.

The inside source claimed the producers proposed various other options, to no avail.

“They didn’t want that. [The show] basically offered up as much as possible, but they weren’t happy with it, so they walked and they left,” the insider said.

According to a source, Ora did not mind taking a dressing room similar to the one they offered Rowland.

During the broadcast, Kotb and Ora vaguely addressed the hubbub that allegedly happened backstage, but Rowland’s absence was not mentioned.

“I didn’t even know this was happening,” Ora admitted on-air. “Everyone watching, this has just been so much fun. They asked us backstage and I’m just like, ‘I love Hoda! Here we are, and now I’m with you for a whole hour!’”

Kotb even said that she could see Ora hosting a talk show of her own down the line.

“I feel like there’s a lot of talk show in you and I’m gonna say that because I’ve only sat with you for the first time. You joined this chat five minutes before we went on the air and everything’s been clicking,” she said.