Kelly Rowland declined to answer a question about her abrupt Today show studio exit and the controversy that ensued.
During an appearance with Chicago’s WGN News on Wednesday, February 22, Rowland, 43, was asked whether she’d like to explain why she opted not to fulfill her cohosting duty with Hoda Kotb. “No, because I’m so excited and delighted to be here to talk about the movie and nothing else,” she responded. (Rowland was there to promote her Netflix drama, Mea Culpa.)
“I love the Today show, love Hoda and that is it,” she added after choosing not to clarify what happened.
Rowland made headlines last week after it was reported that she walked off the set of Today. After being interviewed by Savannah Guthrie, Rowland was set to fill in for Jenna Bush Hager as a cohost the fourth hour of the show with Kotb, 59. (Rita Ora instead joined Kotb during the 10 a.m. segment.)
After the incident, her rep, Yvette Noel-Schure, spoke out in a statement to Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday, February 20, saying, “After 28 years of knowing her, Kelly Rowland remains one of the kindest, most amiable humans I have ever met and have had the blessing to represent.”
Multiple outlets later reported that Rowland’s departure was due to being disappointed with her dressing room. Guthrie, 52, later seemingly admitted that Rowland’s concerns were valid. (There’s since been speculation that Rowland’s exit could have been because of her irritation with Guthrie bringing up former Destiny’s Child bandmate Beyoncé during the interview.)
“We need a remodel. We need Extreme Makeover: Today Show Dressing Room Edition,” she joked to ET on Wednesday. “We are in a historic studio, 1A. It’s the same studio that has been used for decades. It’s incredible and it’s iconic, but it’s old.”
Guthrie said that guests “get the good with the bad” when waiting in the dressing rooms, but she hopes everyone feels like they’re receiving a “warm hug.”
“If you want history, sometimes you’re gonna have a few little chips of paint coming off the wall,” Guthrie said. “We try to do our best.”
Kotb, meanwhile, expressed her “love” for Rowland and admitted she was “bummed” by the events.
“She’s one of our all-time faves, and there’s no one who’s more gracious or graceful than Kelly … we’ve been texting back and forth and I gave her a call. I said, ‘Come on, girl. We’re waiting. We’ll do a re-do.’ So, hopefully we’ll do a re-do,” she said to ET on Wednesday.
When asked about the dressing rooms, Kotb noted they’re “tiny” and a “work in progress,” but she explained they add to the show’s “charm.”
“If you’ve ever been backstage [on] Broadway and gone to one of those dressing rooms, you’re like in these tiny rooms for months and months,” Kotb said. “That’s kind of what the Today show is like. You walk around and it’s such a beautiful place, but there’s tiny little spaces.”
