NBC Today Show's Hoda Kotb Shares Easter Photo Of New Baby Hope, Daughter Haley + Joel Schiffman

NBC Today Show's Hoda Kotb Shares Easter Photo Of New Baby Hope, Daughter Haley + Joel Schiffman

‘Today’ show co-anchor Hoda Kotb brought a flood of smiles and tears to the show set last week, calling in live with news that she and partner Wall Street financier Joel Schiffman have welcomed a second child named Hope Catherine Kotb.

Libby Leist Becomes First Woman Executive Producer of NBC 'Today Show' 7-9am Time Slot

Libby Leist Becomes First Executive Producer of NBC 'Today Show' 7-9am Time Slot

NBC News announced Wednesday that Libby Leist will succeed Don Nash as executive producer at the 'Today' show, making her the first woman to lead the program's 7am and 8am hours. 

The move follows the November 2017 firing of former 'Today' co-host Matt Lauer and appointment in January of Hoda Kotb to replace Lauer, joining Savannah Guthrie at the anchor desk. 

“The TODAY show couldn’t be in a stronger position. Savannah and Hoda have seamlessly taken their seats and we’re off to a fantastic start in 2018,” Lack wrote to staff. “With this change in anchors, and having rethought some of his priorities, Don Nash has decided to step away from his Executive Producer role at TODAY.”

“Libby has spent her career at NBC News, starting as a desk assistant in DC in 2001, and later rising to become Andrea Mitchell’s State Department producer — a role for which she traveled the world — and then several senior producer roles in the bureau, including MSNBC’s The Daily Rundown and Capitol Hill producer,” Lack wrote.

Leist is also very close to Savannah Guthrie and led 'Today' coverage of candidate town halls in 2016 and a 2016 broadcast from 'The White House' in the Obama Administration. "Today' never replaced Natalie Morales, when she left in 2016 -- preferring to have the anchors handling solid news stories. With the avalanche of Democratic women running for office in 2018, bringing in an executive produce with a political background makes sense.

NY Mag Takes Another Look At Matt Laurer's Takedown Of Today Show's Ann Curry

NY Mag shares again its 2013 story about Matt Lauer's takedown of 'Today' show cohost Ann Curry.

In the light of day on Dec. 4, the real problem is probably that she wouldn't . . . well, you know . . . make her body his playground. Who knows? Maybe she spoke up to 'papa'. Or maybe women liked Ann Curry more than Lauer. I sure did.

This article, read again against the backdrop of Lauer's outrageous and uneven grillings of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in the 2016 election cycle, send the message that strong, competent women go nowhere in Matt Laurer's world. If you didn't kiss Lauer's butt -- LITERALLY -- you're not going anywhere.

How many other Matt Lauers are out there? As painful as these last months have been for women, let's take them the hell down if they fit the Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose, misogynist models. ~ Anne

Related: Revisiting the Bitter Matt Lauer -- Ann Cutty 'Today Show' Drama New York Magazine

Lauer's 'Double Life': Inside NBC, The Network Is Trying To Expunge The Lauer Era Vanity Fair