Kelly Rowland reportedly had a classic diva complaint about an inadequate dressing room, which led her to dramatically walk off NBC’s “Today” show last week, minutes before she was due to guest-host the morning show’s fourth hour with Hoda Kotb, a new report said.
Sources close to the situation told TMZ that the former “Destiny’s Child” singer arrived at NBC on Feb. 15, just before 8 a.m. She already was “in full glam,” but she and her team immediately complained about the condition of her assigned dressing room.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 03: Hoda Kotb attends the 2023 Broadcasting + Cable Hall Of Fame Gala at The Ziegfeld Ballroom on May 03, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
Sources said that “Today” staffers explained to Rowland and her team that their dressing rooms were notoriously “dumpy, glorified closets” — not luxury suites. Apparently, the R&B singer and her team became even more incensed when they were told they couldn’t use a dressing room upstairs because it was reserved for Jennifer Lopez, who had guest-hosted “Saturday Night Live” earlier this month. They also were not happy with other dressing-room options suggested by “Today” staffers.
Seven minutes to air time Rowland and her team announced, “We’re gonna leave.” And they left. Kotb had to scramble to find someone else to help host the fourth hour, as regular host Jenna Bush Hager was off. British singer Rita Ora happened to be available and was able to step in and host, confirming that she only had minutes to prepare, Page Six reported.
The TMZ report confirms another report last week from Page Six, which also described Rowland’s sudden departure “at the 11th hour” because her dressing room wasn’t “up to par.”
Page Six said that Rowland was supposed to appear on the show to promote her new Tyler Perry-produced Netflix movie, “Mea Culpa,” in which she stars and is also a producer.
Her abrupt exit left “Today” insiders perplexed because a source told Page Six, “She’s loved at ‘Today.’” They also said that she was going to be on the show for the full hour with Kotb, who is known as “the biggest hype woman on the planet.”
On Tuesday’s episode of “Today,” Kotb tried to downplay the drama surrounding Rowland’s departure by complimenting the singer, Page Six reported.
“I just want to say this: I have great love and admiration for Kelly Rowland. I adore her, and I want her to come back on our show, and I want her to host again,” Kotb said
Co-host Jenna Bush Hager agreed that the singer is “welcome anytime,” adding, “She’s the best.”
But Kotb more or less confirmed that Rowland was upset about her assigned dressing room by offering to share her own dressing room with her, should she deign to come back on their show.
“We’ll be in it together!” Kotb said, laughing.
While “Real Housewives of New York City” alum Bethenny Frankel blasted Rowland for her “diva expectations” on “Today,” another morning-show host, Sherri Shepherd, used the incident to poke fun at the long-running morning show, while promoting her own.
Rowland was a guest on Shepherd’s show this week, and Shepherd shared a video clip of her running to greet the singer in the dressing room assigned to her, TMZ reported. The video showed the very spacious and stylishly decorated dressing room provided to Rowland, as it to show it was a lot better than what “Today” gave her.