Today faces major shake-up as both Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb missing from show

The Today Show looked a little different on Tuesday morning as both main hosts, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, were missing from Studio 1A. 

The duo's absence was explained by their colleague, Sheinelle Jones, who stepped in to host the program alongside Craig Melvin. 

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Introducing News correspondent Jacob Soboroff to the panel, Sheinelle said: "Inside Studio 1A, Jacob's pitching in as Savannah and Hoda enjoy the morning off."

Hoda is expected to be away from the show all week in order to celebrate her 59th birthday, which lands on Wednesday 9 August. 

Savannah made the announcement during Monday's edition of the NBC show and joked that her co-star would be partying with Simone Biles following her incredible return to professional gymnastics over the weekend. "Hoda's got the morning off – she's probably at Simone's house right now just being like 'Go Simone!!'" she said, prompting laughter from Craig.

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Later she explained further: "We've got Hoda off this week – it's her birthday this week by the way."

It's an exciting time for the Today Show hosts as Hoda recently revealed that she has written a new children's book, titled Hope is a Rainbow. The book was inspired by her three-year-old daughter Hope, who spent a few days in the ICU in hospital earlier this year. 

Hoda spent a brief period away from the show during Hope's hospitalization and recovery. Upon her return, she explained to viewers: "My youngest, Hope, was in the ICU for a few days and in the hospital for a little more than a week.

"I'm so grateful she's home. She is back home. I was waiting for that day to come, and we are watching her closely. I'm just so happy."

Chatting about the new book, which will hit the shelves in March 2024, Hoda said: "It reminds me that hope is in every corner, no matter what hardship you endure."

Savannah also celebrated a huge achievement recently as she became the first-ever cover star for Allrecipes magazine's fall edition. 

© Brian Doben/Allrecipes

The star looked as glamorous as ever in the picture, which saw her sporting high-waisted jeans and a bright, orange shirt while sitting on a kitchen countertop pouring syrup onto a plate of perfectly stacked pancakes. 

"The TODAY Show has been trying to teach me to cook for years," Savannah said in the pages of the magazine, adding that when she cooks in her Starting from Scratch segment, everything is already prepared for her. 

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"Of course, that’s not actually cooking — and the things that intimidate me are the basic techniques," she said.