NEW YORK (AP) – Red-carpet fashion maven Steven Cojocaru’s gig on NBC’s “Today” show is over.

“He’s not going to be on the program again,” “Today” show publicist Lauren Kapp said Thursday. “We are going our separate ways, and we wish him all the best.”

Cojocaru is scheduled to talk about his recent kidney transplant operation on an upcoming interview on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” Carly Ubersox, a spokesman for Winfrey’s Harpo Productions, said Thursday.

There had been speculation that Cojocaru was being dropped as a “Today” contributor because of the upcoming interview.

Ubersox said the interview is planned, but hadn’t been taped.

Manfred Westphal, a spokesman for Paramount Domestic Television, said Cojocaru’s priority is recuperating at his Los Angeles home. “He’s focused on his recovery,” said Westphal. “He plans to be back on (“Entertainment Tonight’) soon.”

Cojocaru will appear by satellite from his home during Oscar coverage by “ET” later this month, Westphal said. Paramount Domestic Television distributes “Entertainment Tonight.”

The 40-something fashion commentator, who became known for his snappy assessment of celebrity awards show fashion, has polycystic kidney disease, a common hereditary disorder that causes the growth of cysts on the kidneys. The disease can reduce kidney function and eventually cause kidney failure.

Cojocaru, formerly People magazine’s West Coast style editor, underwent the transplant operation in Los Angeles last month.

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