How Matt Rogers Feels About Not Getting ‘Today With Jenna & Friends’ Cohost Gig

While Matt Rogers has loved guest-hosting Today With Jenna & Friends with Jenna Bush Hager, he didn’t compete to become her permanent cohost.

Rogers is helping to close out the Jenna & Friends era as Bush Hager’s final celebrity cohost this week. Sheinelle Jones will take her place as Bush Hager’s permanent cohost on the fourth hour of Today, soon to be retitled Today With Jenna & Sheinelle, on Monday, January 12.

“I am obsessed with her. I love her. I’m having the best time,” Rogers said of working with Bush Hager on Jenna & Friends‘ final week of shows on the Wednesday, January 7, episode of his and Bowen Yang‘s Las Culturistas podcast. “Literally, I was saying, ‘I don’t really have much to promote,’ but then I was like, ‘Oh wait, yes, I do. Our full-blown Two Guys, Five Rings podcast.’ So, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, of course I’ll go back.'” (Rogers and Yang recently relaunched their Two Guys, Five Rings podcast ahead of the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.)

“And I’m the last friend. And so, I made a whole joke about how that meant I was second place,” Rogers said before clarifying whether or not he was campaigning for the permanent cohost role.

“But by the way, I just do want to say, I knew the entire time I wasn’t getting that job. I did not want that job,” he revealed. “Everyone was like, ‘Ah, were you disappointed? I was like, ‘A. No. I wouldn’t want that schedule. B. Sheinelle Jones should have the job.'”

Matt Rogers and Jenna Bush Hager on the January 6, 2026, episode of NBC's 'Today With Jenna & Friends.'

NBC

Though Rogers “knew the whole time I wasn’t actually getting it,” he “did like that everyone thought I was a contender.” He told Yang, “I liked being in that conversation. It was fun.”

'Today': Who Was Jenna Bush Hager's Best 'Jenna & Friends' Cohost? (POLL)

Rogers made his Jenna & Friends debut by cohosting an entire week with Bush Hager in May 2025. He returned to cohost another whole week in August, as well as four days in October. He has led the series with Bush Hager since Monday, January 5, and will conclude his run on the show’s final episode on Friday, January 9.

“Wow!” Yang said in reaction to the number of episodes Rogers has appeared on. He went on to joke that Rogers deserved a “smoking jacket” for his work on the show, referring to how Saturday Night Live hosts are gifted a fancy jacket upon joining the 5-Timers Club.

“Truly. I guess that I would have four SNL jackets at this point,” Rogers remarked.

Rogers said he was “so honored to be the final friend” on Monday’s episode of Jenna & Friends. “And I know what it means. Second place,” he joked. “I just want to gratefully accept this as my second place. Sheinelle, you deserve it, mama! Sorry, everyone else. Don’t be wondering at home who was second place. It’s me, baby, and you know it’s true. She’s laughing ’cause she knows.”

He went on to praise Jones for being Bush Hager’s “best” cohost throughout Jenna & Friends‘ run. “I knew nothing,” he said of watching Bush Hager’s cohost announcement. “And so, then when it was Sheinelle, I was, like, crying in my apartment. I’m so happy for you both.”

Today With Jenna & Friends, Weekdays, 10 a/9c, NBC

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