Hoda Kotb said that she is departing NBC’s Today early next year.
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“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,” she wrote in a memo to staffers.
She added: “I’ve been weighing this decision for quite a while – Am I truly ready? 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.”
Kotb made the announcement on today’s show.
She has co-anchored the show with Savannah Guthrie since 2018 , filling a slot after the abrupt exit of Matt Lauer amid sexual harassment allegations . She first joined NBC News as a correspondent for Dateline in 1998 and joined Today in 2007 as one of the original co-hosts of that portion of the franchise.
Kotb and Guthrie became the first all-female team to host NBC’s now-72-year-old morning show, a huge profit generator for the news division.
Today has outperformed its rivals, ABC’s Good Morning America and CBS Mornings , in the key 25-54 and 18-49 demos in the most recent season.
While GMA topped total viewers in the most recent season, Today beat the competition in the third quarter, which featured the network’s coverage of the Olympics, and also edged out its rivals last week, with 2.53 million viewers.
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In a note to staffets, Libby Leist, EVP of Today and Lifestyle, said that Kotb will “remain part of the NBC/ Today family,” as she will remain a contributor. “Hoda has been at NBC News for 26 years, and we have been lucky to call her a colleague, mentor and friend.”
The show has not announced a successor for her Today role or for the fourth hour, which she has continued to co-host along with Jenna Bush Hager. A staff meeting is planned for this morning.
Last year, Kotb was absent from the show for two weeks, and later shared that it was because her daughter had a health emergency, in which she was in intensive care for several days and in the hospital for more than a week, according to People .
“We had a scary stretch,” Kotb told People . Any parent who’s been through a scary thing with their child understands. It’s like you just can’t believe that your child’s sick. You can’t believe that there’s nothing you can do. You can’t believe that no matter what you do, you can’t will it away or protect her, or all the things that we’re supposed to be doing as parents. And it’s a position I’ve never found myself in.”
Gayle King, who co-hosts CBS Mornings , recently extended her contract to remain on the show.
Here is Kotb’s memo to staffers:
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To my TODAY family,
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’m feeling that so 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 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. 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. 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. I will miss each and every one of you at TODAY desperately.
I’ve been weighing this decision for quite a while – Am I truly ready? 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.
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. 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. TODAYand its amazing people — all of you — never waver. You always weather change with grace and guts.
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. I’ll be around. How could I not? Family is family and you all will always be a part of mine.
Love,
Hoda
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