Hoda Kotb Announces She's Leaving 'Today' to Spend More Times With Her Kids: 'Hardest Thing in the World'

Hoda Kotb revealed she's moving on from the Today show and will be leaving early next year. However, she will remain part of the NBC family.

"I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new," she said on the Thursday, September 26, show. "I remembered standing outside looking at these beautiful bunch of people with these gorgeous signs, and I thought, 'This is what the top of the wave feels like for me.' And I thought it can't get better, and I decided that this is the right time for me to kind of move on."

Kotb, 60, who shares two little girls — Haley and Hope — with ex Joel Schiffman said she wants to be around her tots a lot more. "Obviously I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have. I feel like we only have a finite amount of time. And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world," she continued.

Kotb will remain with Today through January 1, 2025, and will stay in the NBC family in an unspecific role.

"It's kind of a big deal for me," she said while getting emotional. "I've been practicing so I wouldn't cry, but anyway, I did."

The TV host, who has been working at NBC News for nearly three decades, previously worked at Dateline and as the co-host of the fourth hour of Today with Kathie Lee Gifford and now Jenna Bush Hager . She's also co-anchored Today for more than five years alongside Savannah Guthrie .

The mom-of-two also wrote a heartfelt note to staffers about why she's stepping down.

"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 ," she wrote.

Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!

"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," she added.