NBC is pushing back against persistent rumors about tension between "Today" co-hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb.
On Friday, TMZ reported that the two are at odds over potentially moving the fourth hour of "Today" to Los Angeles. The celebrity gossip site wrote that Gifford has been lobbying for the move, while Kotb is adamant about staying in New York City. Earlier, Page Six reported that Kathie Lee and Hoda's two week stint in Los Angeles was a test run for a permanent move, though "Today" denied the rumor.
Kotb had reportedly expected Gifford to drop the idea once her musical "Scandalous" opened on Broadway in November. However, the show — which focused on the life of famed evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson — closed after three weeks.
Other sources told TMZ that the tension "began when Hoda felt Kathie Lee snubbed her by not promoting her book on the air." Kotb recently released "Ten Years Later" about six people who overcame significant adversity.
An NBC spokesperson rebuffed the report in a statement to The Huffington Post, saying, "None of this is true. The only 'tension' between the two ladies is whether the beverage of the day is red or white."
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