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The US Sun
Dates, ad deals and health scare – the reasons Hoda Kotb decided to bring down the curtain on Today job after 17 years
By Jessica Finn,
1 days ago
HODA Kotb had a long list of reasons to end her 17-year run on morning TV, according to a source.
The insider told The U.S. Sun that Hoda ‘s crushing morning show schedule had become problematic for her work-life balance, and the “life” part of the equation ultimately weighed heavily on her decision to leave Today .
The mother of two found she couldn’t dedicate enough time to her two kids, Hope, 5, and Haley, 7 .
“You want to be there for your kids, and she’s just completely wiped by the time it gets around to after school,” an insider explained.
“She loves these girls so much, and then when Hope was sick and hospitalized, everything changed for her with her views on work.”
“I think people don’t realize to be on morning TV, its like being an athlete, your whole life is about that,” the insider continued.
“Getting up at three o’clock every morning, and then you go to bed at eight o’clock, which was fine when her kids were three or four years old, but now that her kids have grown up a bit, they don’t want to go to bed at eight o’clock. The kids are up later than Hoda.
“Morning TV is a young person’s game, since it has grueling hours, and it just gets harder as you get older.
“Hoda’s 60th birthday was a wake-up call for her.”
READY FOR LOVE
The insider said that on top of her wanting to be there for her daughters, the daytime TV host, who was spotted with a mystery man in March, very much wants to be able to go on dates.
“She wants to have a boyfriend, she wants to have that life and she wants to date,” they added.
“Hoda can become the face of L’Oreal. She could potentially make more money now that she’s off the show.”
Meanwhile, on another family front, the source noted Hoda’s relationship with her mother, Sameha, was also a focal point of her decision to leave Today.
HODA'S NBC LEGACY
Hoda's illustrious career at NBC spanned well over two decades.
Hoda joined the NBC network in 1998 as a correspondent for Dateline .
She became a standout once paired with Kathie Lee Gifford in the 10 am hour of Today in 2008.
Hoda announced her departure from Today on Thursday morning.
She fought back tears as she told her co-hosts, “I just turned 60, and it was such a monumental moment for me when I turned 60 years old…What does that decade mean? And I realize it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new.”
She thought, “It can’t get any better,” and knew it was time to move on.
Hoda also noted that since she became a mom later in life, they “deserve a bigger piece of my time pie.”
She said leaving Today was “the hardest thing in the world,” and promised she would “stay in the NBC family,” but revealed she would be departing the morning show in early 2025.
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