close
close
Skip to main content
metropolis
Iconic host leaves NBC’s ‘Today’ show

Iconic host leaves NBC’s ‘Today’ show

Vaseline 1 week ago

NEW YORK — Hoda Kotb has announced she will be leaving NBC’s TODAY Show in 2025 but will remain part of the NBC family.

Kotb announced her decision to resign Thursday morning and sent a letter to TODAY staff.

“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 feel that so deeply right now. I love you all and it’s time for me to leave the show,” she wrote in the letter.

During Thursday morning’s show, she said she made her decision after her 60th birthday in August.

“I realized that at 60, it was time to turn the page and try something new,” she said. “I remember standing outside and looking at this beautiful group of people with these beautiful signs, and I thought, ‘This is what the crest of the wave feels like to me.’ And I thought, it can’t get any better, and I decided this was the right time to move on.”

She also said she wanted to spend more time with her two children.

“I had my children late in life and I thought they deserved a bigger share of my time than I did,” she said. “I feel like we only have a limited amount of time.

Kotb has worked for NBC News for nearly 30 years. She previously worked on “Dateline” and co-hosted the fourth hour of TODAY with Kathie Lee Gifford and then Jenna Bush Hager. She and Savannah Guthrie have been co-anchors of TODAY for more than five years, NBC reported.

Hoda said she will remain within the NBC family in an undisclosed role after her departure.

“My time at NBC has been the longest professional love affair of my life. But that’s only because you’ve been by my side through this 26-year adventure,” she wrote in her email to her colleagues. “…But one thing I now know for sure: Everything will be OK. The Peacock’s feathers never ruffle…no matter who comes or goes. TODAY and its wonderful people — all of you — never waver. You always face change with grace and courage.”