After being on the Today Show for 17 years, Hoda Kotb announced on Thursday, September 26, that she would be leaving the morning program.
Hoda revealed the news during Thursday morning’s show, stating that she made the decision after celebrating her 60th birthday.
“I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new,” she said. “I remembered standing outside looking at these beautiful bunch of people with these gorgeous signs, and I thought, ‘This is what the top of the wave feels like for me.’ And I thought it can’t get better, and I decided that this is the right time for me to kind of move on.”
Hoda’s history with NBC spans almost 30 years. She began her journey on Dateline and eventually became the co-host of the fourth hour of TODAY with Kathie Lee Gifford and later Jenna Bush Hager. She and her current co-host, Savannah Guthrie, have co-anchored the show together for over five years.
During her time on TODAY, Hoda has been known for bringing a fun-loving energy to every segment she’s part of. She has brought smiles to the faces of some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, including country stars Dolly Parton, Lainey Wilson, and her friend Blake Shelton— who Hoda once hilariously dressed up as for Halloween one year.
In a letter shared with NBC regarding her departure, Hoda goes into more detail about her decision to leave her longtime position.
“As I write this, my heart is all over the map,” she began. “I know I’m making the right decision, but it’s a painful one. And you all are the reason why. They say two things can be right at the same time, and I’m feeling that so deeply right now. I love you and it’s time for me to leave the show.”
She continued, “I’ve been weighing this decision for quite a while – Am I truly ready? But, my sixtieth birthday celebration on the Plaza felt like a shift. Like a massive, joyful YES, you are!”
Hoda then goes on to say that spending time with her daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 4, as well as her mother, played a significant role in her decision to leave her current position.
“I saw it all so clearly: my broadcast career has been beyond meaningful, a new decade of my life lies ahead, and now my daughters and my mom need and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie. I will miss you all desperately, but I’m ready and excited.”
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Hoda will finish out the year on the morning show and continue in her position until early 2025. Although she is saying farewell to TODAY, and it’s unclear if she will return to the program in some capacity in the future, she clarifies that she isn’t saying goodbye to the NBC family for good.
“I’ll be around,” she wrote. “How could I not? Family is family and you all will always be a part of mine.”