ENTERTAINMENTJenna Bush Hager Hoped to Have Scarlett Johansson as Her Co-Host Before Realizing Actress Makes More Money 'From a Super Bowl Commercial'
Jenna Bush Hager previously expressed interest in having Scarlett Johansson become a permanent 'Today' host.
May 20 2026, Updated 1:28 p.m. ET
Jenna Bush Hager addressed previous rumors about Scarlett Johansson becoming her new co-host.
During the Wednesday, May 20, episode of TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle, the TV personality, 44, admitted that before Sheinelle Jones was chosen, she believed Johansson, 41, was going to become her new costar.
Johansson was a guest co-host several times on Bush Hager’s TODAY With Jenna & Friends before Jones joined the fourth hour in January.
Colin Jost guest-starred on 'TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle.'
“I miss Scarlett. We want her to come back. I mean, I have a new host,” the 44-year-old told guest star Colin Jost, who expressed how his wife “loves being here.”
“For a minute, I thought she was going to really take the job. But then I realized she gets more in a Super Bowl commercial than a whole year,” Bush Hager joked.
“She really loved doing it,” Jost insisted. “I think in another alternate universe, she would love doing it every day.”
“She can come any time,” Jones, 48, exclaimed.
Colin Jost said Scarlett Johansson 'loves' spending time at 'Today.'
In early 2025, Johansson told InStyle that the Today Show needed someone "spicy" and "funny" to be Bush Hager’s co-host.
The mom-of-three has been open about how much she loved sharing the screen with her “bestie.”
"I thought it was my husband that was going to fall in love with her, but it turns out it was me," she told an outlet last February.
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Scarlett Johansson previously guest co-hosted 'TODAY With Jenna & Friends.'
In August 2025, Today host Carson Daly joked about Johansson being too pricey to bring on.
"I've loved a lot [of the co-hosts]," he said during an appearance at Broadway's Jeff Ross: Take a Banana for the Ride in New York City. "I loved Dwyane Wade. I thought he was awesome. Every time Erin Andrews is on, I'm like, 'She's amazing.' Scarlett Johansson is everybody's favorite, but she happens to be Hollywood's most expensive actor. We can't afford her, but she loves doing it."
Jenna Bush Hager Announced Sheinelle Jones as New Co-Host
Sheinelle Jones became Jenna Bush Hager's permanent co-host in January.
In December 2025, it was announced that Jones would become Bush Hager’s permanent “friend” on the fourth hour.
“We have got a very special show today,” Bush Hager said on air at the time. “Over the last year, I have had the privilege of co-hosting this show with 60 incredible friends…I didn’t think I was going to cry before I even started…who all opened up to me, who inspired me. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve made some incredible friends, and I’ve learned so much about myself. And you, the audience, have been with me the entire time, so thank you so much.”
Jenna Bush Hager gushed over Sheinelle Jones as her 'forever friend.'
She continued, “Today, I am so thrilled to announce I have found my forever friend, and we are going to start a brand-new journey in January. I couldn’t be more excited to share this person with you all. You all know her. She is an extraordinary broadcaster, but more importantly, she exemplifies exactly what this show is all about.”
