Hoda Kotb, co-host of NBC's “Today” show, announced in a tearful interview Thursday that she will be leaving the show early next year.
The NBC Today crew huddled around a couch on set as they broke the news that Kotb was leaving the Comcast-owned network's morning flagship show to spend more time with her family.
“Then I did the math and realized I'd spent 26 years at NBC,” she said, tears filling her eyes, before telling herself to “stay calm.”
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Hoda Kotb, co-host of NBC's “Today” show, has announced that she will be leaving the show early next year. (Screenshot/NBC)
“I just turned 60, and turning 60 was a landmark moment for me because I started thinking about those 10 years… I realized at 60 it was time to change my life and try something new,” she continued. “Now is the right time for me to move forward in some ways.”
Kotb then explained that she wanted to spend more time with her young children, who were born later in life.
“They deserve a bigger share of my time,” Kotb said.
“That being said, this is the hardest thing in the world,” she added. “It's kind of hard for me… I've been practicing not crying, but I ended up crying.”
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Kotb, who said she would “remain part of the NBC family,” previously worked at NBC's “Dateline” and hosted the fourth hour of “Today” alongside Kathie Lee Gifford and Jenna Bush Hager, before officially taking on the co-anchor role alongside Savannah Guthrie after longtime host Matt Lauer was fired for sexual misconduct violations.
Kotb famously sat next to Guthrie during the shocking announcement that Lauer had been fired in 2017. Kotb helped “Today” weather Lauer's firing, filling in for Lauer on an interim basis until he was named his permanent successor a few weeks later.
It is unclear who will replace Kotb in early 2025.
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