Kelly Rowland Walked Off the ‘TODAY’ Show Set Because She Reportedly “Did Not Like The Dressing Room”
In a scramble, Rita Ora filled in: “We had two minutes to prepare.”
Kelly Rowland abruptly walked off the TODAY show set after reportedly taking issue with the show's small dressing rooms.
“Kelly and her team were not happy," a source familiar with the situation told Page Six exclusively. "They did not like the dressing room, so they decided to pull her off the show, leaving (co-anchor Hoda Kotb) without a guest host for the 10 a.m. hour."
Without a guest host, Kotb was left scrambling to find a replacement, Page Six reports. With minimal time to spare, Rita Ora stepped in to save the day.
"Well, this happened! We had two minutes to prepare ahhh, thank you @hodaandjenna for asking me to co-host the show," Ora posted on Instagram, confirming her last-minute appearance with a slew of photos.
"Everyone was so lovely and kind, I had SO much fun doing it!! 💗💗💗 Love to everyone that tuned in, maybe we should do more??!!!"
Per the same Page Six reporting, Rowland was initially scheduled to appear as a guest during the 8 a.m. hour before filling in for co-host Jenna Bush Hager in the fourth hour on Today with Hoda & Jenna.
The publications source claims that TODAY staff were "perplexed" by her abrupt exit, in part because "she's beloved at TODAY."
"She was getting the full hour, and Hoda's the biggest hype woman on the planet," the source continued. "It made no sense."
Unhappy with the size of her assigned green room, Rowland reportedly requested a larger room upstairs. Unfortunately, as Page Six reports, it was occupied by Jennifer Lopez.
Kelly Rowland appears on the 'TODAY' show on Thursday, February 15, 2024.
This is not the first time there have been reported issues with what one source described as the show's notoriously small green rooms.
"(They're) “glorified closets,” one Page Six source put it.
In 2016, Page Six also reported that theTODAY staff were "arguing" over dressing rooms at the "morning show's overcrowded, antiquated Studio 1A."
“The building was built in the ’20s, and everyone is making do with a small, tiny, little space," a source told the outlet at the time.
