Kelly Rowland had a diva moment when she walked out of NBC's Today show on Thursday, February 15, as she was displeased with her dressing room, a source claimed.
According to an insider, the actress was a guest on the 8 a.m. hour of the morning news show and then was going to fill in for Jenna Bush Hager as guest host of Today with Hoda & Jenna.
However, the singer, 43, dropped out last minute due to her dressing room accommodations, putting Hoda Kotb in a bind.
“Kelly and her team were not happy. They did not like the dressing room, so they decided to pull her off the show, leaving [Kotb] without a guest host for the 10 a.m. hour,” a source claimed.
Rowland's drastic move left Today show staffers confused since she's "beloved" at the TV show. "She was getting the full hour, and Hoda’s the biggest hype woman on the planet! It made no sense,” a source said. “[The show] basically offered up as much as possible, but they weren’t happy with it, so they walked and they left."
Staffers tried to find Rowland a new room, but the upstairs one was already being used by Jennifer Lopez.
The dressing rooms at Today are practically “glorified closets,” one source noted.
“They’re not nice. It’s the oldest building. There are major space limitations, [it’s] not glamorous. It’s not fresh flowers, and candles and gourmet food. It’s basically [a] white box,” they continued.
In the end, Rita Ora ended up filling in for Rowland after Rowland dropped out.
“You are just a lovely human being so I just want to say: Welcome to the co-host chair, how does it feel?” Kotb asked Ora.
She replied, “Oh, it feels so warm! I feel so comfortable already… Well, you know, being from across the pond this is like everything we watch on TV so I’m so happy. Hello America! It’s me, Rita.”
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“I didn’t even know this was happening,” Ora admitted. “Everyone watching, this has just been so much fun. They asked us backstage and I’m just like, ‘I love Hoda! Here we are, and now I’m with you for a whole hour!'”
