Hoda Kotb is leaving the Today show after five years as coanchor and nearly three decades at NBC.
Kotb, 60, announced the news on-air with Savannah Guthrie on Thursday, September 26, with both women getting visibly emotional.
“I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new. This is the right time for me to move on,” she explained while citing her daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, as motivation for the decision.
Guthrie got emotional about the news, saying, “We love you so much and that no one at the show wants to imagine this place without you.”
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At the same time, a letter written by Kotb was shared on Today.com.
“As I write this, my heart is all over the map,” Kotb wrote. “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.”
Kotb reflected on her time at NBC News, which spanned nearly three decades after a previous stint at Dateline. She went on to cohost Today with Guthrie following Matt Lauer’s exit. She also hosted the third hour with Kathie Lee Gifford and then Jenna Bush Hager.
“My time at NBC has been the longest professional love affair of my life,” she recalled. “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.”
The news anchor issued a message to those who have supported her over the years, adding, “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.”
She continued: “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,” she said. “I will miss each and every one of you at TODAY desperately.”
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In the statement, Kotb reflected on why she decided to part ways with Today.
“I’ve been weighing this decision for quite a while — Am I truly ready?” she noted. “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.”
The plan is for Kotb to stay on-air until the end of the year.
“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,” she added. 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.”
Kotb also confirmed she isn’t leaving NBC completely, concluding, “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,” she wrote. “I’ll be around. How could I not? Family is family and you all will always be a part of mine.”
