Hoda Kotb, the veteran cohost of NBC’s Today show, announced on Thursday that she will be leaving the program. She expressed that reaching the milestone of 60 years old prompted her to consider new opportunities.
Reflecting on her recent 60th birthday celebration on the show, Kotb described it as a pivotal moment: “I remembered standing outside looking at these beautiful people with these gorgeous signs, and I thought, ‘This is what the top of the wave feels like for me.’ I realized it can’t get better, and I decided this is the right time for me to move on.”
Kotb emphasized her desire to dedicate more time to her daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 5. “They deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have,” she said, highlighting the importance of time spent with family.
Although she will remain with the show until early 2025, her future role at NBC has yet to be defined. “We love you so much, and when you see these tears, they’re love,” said Today co-host Savannah Guthrie. “You are so loved, and honestly … we don’t want to imagine this place without you.”
Having been with NBC for 26 years, Kotb spent a decade with Dateline before joining Today in 2007. Al Roker, another host on the show, remarked, “You’ve been the heart of this show for a long time, and there’s no replacing that.”