Hoda Kotb is leaving “Today” after five years co-anchoring the NBC morning show, and nearly 20 years there in total.
The longtime NBC veteran announced Thursday that she decided upon turning 60 on air last month that “it’s time” to close this chapter of her life. She will finish out the year at the desk, then transition to an as-yet undefined role at the network — which she dubbed “the longest professional love affair of my life.”
“I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new,” recalled Kotb on Thursday’s broadcast.
In a letter to the show’s staffers, Kotb — whose tenure also included a decade at “Dateline” — wrote that she was “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,” continued Kotb. “I love you and it’s time for me to leave the show.”
Kotb started at “Today” in 2007, co-hosting the fourth hour, first with Kathie Lee Gifford and now with Jenna Bush Hager. She began co-anchoring officially in 2018, after a temporary stint in the wake of Matt Lauer’s 2017 firing for sexual misconduct.
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Kotb paid tribute to her “Today” and NBC family, including her “rock” Savannah Guthrie, her “ride-or-die” Bush Hager, and Al Roker, who she counts as her “longest friend at 30 Rock.”
Though she’d “been weighing this decision for quite a while,” Kotb didn’t know for certain that she was “truly ready” until her birthday.
The milestone made Kotb see that it was time to focus more time on her role at a mom to 7-year-old Haley Joy and 5-year-old Hope Catherine, both adopted with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman. The pair called off their engagement in 2022.
Early last year, Hope experienced a health crisis that necessitated several days in the intensive care unit and over a week in the hospital.
“We had a scary stretch,” Kotb told People in March. “Any parent who’s been through a scary thing with their child understands. … You can’t believe that there’s nothing you can do.”
Kotb said she will still “be around” at NBC. “How could I not? Family is family and you will always be a part of mine.”