Hoda Kotb has announced she will be leaving TODAY early next year, but will remain a member of the NBC family.
She tearfully recounted on TODAY on September 26 how celebrating her 60th birthday in August pushed her to make the decision to make a change.
“I realized it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and try something new,” she said. “I remember standing outside looking at this beautiful group of people holding these beautiful signs, and I thought, ‘This is what I feel like on the crest of the wave.’ And I thought, it can’t get any better, and I decided it was the right time for me to move on.”
Hoda’s plans to spend more time with her daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, also factored into her decision.
“Obviously, I had my kids late in life and I felt like they deserved more of my time than I did,” she said. “I feel like we only have a limited amount of time.”
“And so, with all that said, it’s the hardest thing in the world.”
She said she will remain with TODAY through Jan. 1, 2025, and will remain with the NBC family in an unspecified role.
“It’s a big event for me,” she said through tears. “I trained myself not to cry, but I did it.”
Hoda has been with NBC News for nearly three decades, having worked at “Dateline” and co-anchoring the fourth hour of TODAY with Kathie Lee Gifford and then Jenna Bush Hager. She and Savannah Guthrie co-anchored TODAY for more than five years.
Hoda also shared a letter addressed to TODAY staff on Sept. 26 regarding her decision to resign. Read it in full below.
To my family TODAY,
As I write this, my heart is in turmoil. I know I’m making the right decision, but it’s painful. And you’re all the reason. They say two things can be right at the same time, and I feel that 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 by my side for twenty-six years. Looking back, the math is crazy. 26 years at NBC News—ten years at Dateline, seven at seven, sixteen at ten. I picture your faces and your families and all the ways you’ve lifted me up and inspired me. It’s my heart that sings. So many of my professional relationships have become some of my dearest friendships. Savannah: my rock. Jenna: my companion. Al: my oldest friend at 30 Rock. Craig, Carson, Sheinelle and Dylan: my family. Libby, Mazz and Talia: my courageous leaders. I will miss each and every one of you terribly at TODAY.
I thought about this question for a long time: am I really ready? But celebrating my sixtieth birthday on the Plaza was a turning point. Like a massive and joyful YES, you are! I saw it all very clearly: my career as a journalist has been more than meaningful, a new decade of my life is opening up before me, and now my daughters and my mother need and deserve a greater share of my time. I will miss you all desperately, but I am ready and excited.
As I work until early 2025, I will have plenty of time to talk about what lies ahead for all of us. But one thing is for sure right now: everything will be okay. The Peacock’s feathers are never ruffled… no matter who comes or goes. TODAY and its incredible inhabitants – all of you – never waver. You always face change with grace and courage.
Happily and gratefully, I plan to remain a member of the NBC family, the longest working relationship I have been fortunate enough to hold close to my heart. I will be there. How could I not be? Family is family and you will always be a part of mine.
Love,
Hoda
