Hoda Kotb has announced that she is leaving TODAY early next year, but will remain part of the NBC family.
She tearfully recounted on TODAY on Sept. 26 about how her 60th birthday celebration in August prompted a decision to make a change.
“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 intention to spend more time with her daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, also factored into her decision.
“Obviously I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have,” she said. “I feel like we only have a finite amount of time.
“And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world.”
She said she will remain with TODAY through early next year, and is going to stay in the NBC family in an unspecified role.
“It’s kind of a big deal for me,” she said through tears. “I’ve been practicing so I wouldn’t cry, but anyway, I did.”
Hoda has been part of the fabric at NBC News for nearly three decades, after previously working at “Dateline” and as the co-host of the fourth hour of TODAY with Kathie Lee Gifford and then Jenna Bush Hager. She and Savannah Guthrie have co-anchored TODAY for more than five years.
“We love you so much,” Savannah tearfully said on TODAY. “And when you look around and see these tears, they’re love. You are so loved. We don’t want to imagine this place without you.
“So it’s complicated because we love you so much, and we don’t want you to ever go,” she continued. “But also I just want to say I am so proud of my friend. You have guts. For someone to leave at the top of their game, to leave something that’s wonderful that you love, where it’s easy and comfortable and beautiful and fun, and say, ‘But I dream bigger for myself into the great unknown.’ You have so much guts. You inspire me. I love you.”
The TODAY family all shared emotional messages with Hoda on the show.
“It’s not over,” Jenna Bush Hager said. “I’m going to be showing up at your house like the stalker you are to Zac Brown. I will be there on your doorstep, and we are your friends forever.”
“Hoda has a relationship with every single person on this couch in her own way, so I think we’re all just kind of wrestling with it inside,” Sheinelle Jones said. “But we also know what a dynamic mom you are, and presence you are. And your whole movement with wellness, you are going to change the world. And we know it.”
One of Hoda’s oldest friends during her time with NBC has been weatherman Al Roker.
“I have never known anybody like you,” Al said. “I’ve known you forever, and I love you.”
Craig Melvin also paid tribute to Hoda’s genuine friendship.
“People in this business, when that little red light, it goes off, they’re different people,” Craig said. “We’ve worked with all these people before. You’re the opposite. That little red light goes off, you are exactly like people see you in the morning — just the biggest heart.
“You’ve been the heart of this show for a long time, and there’s no replacing that.”
She reflected on all her relationships with those behind the camera and the rest of the staff, plus the TODAY fans who gather every day in Rockefeller Plaza to brighten her morning.
Hoda also shared a letter to the TODAY staff on Sept. 26 about her decision to step down. Read it in full below.
“To my TODAY family,
As I write this, my heart is all over the map. 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.
My time at NBC has been the longest professional love affair of my life. But only because you’ve been beside me on this twenty-six-year adventure. Looking back, the math is nuts. 26 years at NBC News – Ten years at Dateline, seven on the seven o’clock hour, sixteen on the ten o’clock hour. I’m picturing your faces and your families and all the ways you’ve lifted me up and inspired me. That’s my heart singing. So many of my professional relationships have become some of my most cherished friendships. Savannah: my rock. Jenna: my ride-or-die. Al: my longest friend at 30 Rock. Craig, Carson, Sheinelle and Dylan: my family. Libby, Mazz and Talia: my fearless leaders. I will miss each and every one of you at TODAY desperately.
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! 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.
Because I’ll be working through the beginning of 2025, there’s plenty of time to talk about what’s ahead for all of us. But one thing I know for sure right now is this: everything’s going to be just fine. The Peacock’s feathers are never ruffled… no matter who comes or goes. TODAY and its amazing people — all of you — never waver. You always weather change with grace and guts.
Happily and gratefully, I plan to remain a part of the NBC family, the longest work relationship I’ve been lucky enough to hold close to my heart. I’ll be around. How could I not? Family is family and you all will always be a part of mine.
Love,
Hoda”
