EXCLUSIVE: Wendy Williams' Former Team 'Linked to Jenna Bush Hager Show'
Jenna Bush Hager's fourth hour of Today is allegedly embracing a more gossip-driven approach, taking inspiration from the defunct Wendy Williams Show.
Oct. 24 2026, Published 8:15 a.m. ET
Today's Jenna Bush Hager – hosted fourth hour is embracing a more gossipy approach – and the fingerprints of the defunct Wendy Williams Show are suddenly everywhere, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Executive producer Talia Parkinson-Jones is a Wendy veteran, while new hire Joelle Dawson-Calia, another former Wendy producer, is helping drive the show's changing culture, sources said.
'Today' Looks to Wendy Williams for Gossip Inspiration
Former 'Wendy Williams Show' producer Joelle Dawson-Calia is reportedly helping reshape Jenna Bush Hager's show.
"The irony is delicious," an insider said. "This was a show that once thought gossip was beneath it. Now they're looking at Wendy Williams and asking, 'How do we get some of that energy?'"
Meanwhile, Chloe Melas – who once covered celebrity news on VH1's The Gossip Table, which was cohosted by Straight Shuter columnist Rob Shuter – is now an NBC News entertainment correspondent appearing on Today.
Jenna Bush Hager Pushes for More Celebrity Gossip
Jenna Bush Hager wants more celebrity scoops and gossip on her show, a source said.
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Insiders said Hager is leaning into the change.
"Jenna wants scoops, celebrities, gossip and personality," a source shared. "She wants the show to have teeth again."
