When it came to creating the perfect office space for her new business, Joy 101, Hoda Kotb asked Joanna Gaines for help.
Gaines, 47, will take viewers inside her renovation of Kotb’s brand-new office on the upcoming season finale of Magnolia Network’s Mini Reni. “I have some big news to share! @JoannaGaines is giving my @joy101 office space a #MiniReni,” Kotb captioned a sneak peek clip from the episode via Instagram on Thursday, May 29. “Tune in to see this transformation on the season finale Wednesday, July 9 at 8p/7c on @MagnoliaNetwork and @StreamOnMax.”
In the preview, Gaines quips that Kotb’s office space “feels bigger than what you showed me.” The empty, open room is something Kotb said she “could imagine myself, like, walking through the door here and seeing something happen.”
Given Joy 101’s focus on wellness, Kotb said in a confessional interview that she wants the office to “feel uplifting and airy and free,” adding, “I was like, ‘I don’t know anything about spaces.’ And I was thinking, ‘Who would I call who could help me? Who would know?’ And only one name popped in and it was, like, clear as day, and it was Joanna.”
Back in the office, Gaines said the space “needs to feel special,” as it will be “the epicenter” of Kotb’s company. In a confessional of her own, she stated, “As I stepped into that space for the first time, I thought it’s like the perfect template for a Mini Reni in that it’s white walls. It’s very simple, and all I need to do now is build on those layers, that story and all the pretty stuff.”
Fans will have to tune in to the show’s season finale later this year to see the final results.
The project has been a long time coming, as Kotb previously teased she was working on something with Gaines back in February. “Remember i was talking about repotting — gotta take first steps … We have something fun cooking!” she captioned pics of the pair via Instagram, including ones of them wearing the same clothes as in the show clip. “Come along on the great adventure … Stay tuned. I love @joannagaines.”
At the time, Gaines commented, “Let’s go!!! So incredibly proud of you @hodakotb 🥹🌱.”
Kotb officially launched her Joy 101 company on Wednesday, May 28, by returning to Today for the first time since her January 10 exit.
“You hit a button and automatically curated for you is a special program,” she told Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin of the Joy 101 app. “If you want prayer, it’s on the app. If you want meditation, it’s on the app. If you want help going to sleep, it’s all on there. And so, we’re also gonna have courses. We’re gonna do all kinds of cool things. We’re gonna have retreats. It’s the stuff that we love.”
She also credited her former fourth hour of Today cohost, Jenna Bush Hager, with kickstarting her wellness journey by suggesting she take a breathwork class. “I did one session with this woman and I exploded in tears and I was transformed,” she shared while cohosting Wednesday’s episode of Today With Jenna & Friends with Bush Hager, 43. “And from that moment on, you and I have been on the exact same path. … And breathwork led to meditation and deep prayer. All the things that we love were all in one spot.”
In addition to Joy 101, Kotb’s other post-Today projects include her new book, Jump and Find Joy, which hits bookshelves in September.
“She has so much [going] on,” a source exclusively told Luxury Handbag Shopping earlier this month. “She has office space rented in Bronxville near her home. Joanna and Chip [Gaines] are renovating it for her. She has retreats and podcasts, she’s making money that she couldn’t do if she was tied to NBC. She’s got QVC deals, paid ads on her Instagram and making lots of her own money now.”
The insider also denied rumors that Kotb is set to replace Kelly Clarkson on her eponymous daytime talk show, telling Us the online reports were “not true.” Kotb confirmed it for herself on Wednesday’s episode of Today, telling Guthrie, 53, and Melvin, 46, “Do you think if I ever came back to TV, do you know where the only place I would ever come back to is? Right here.”
