Hoda Kotb Shares HEARTFELT Feelings About Missing Daily Interactions with ‘Today’ Team Post-Departure

Hoda Kotb, 60, said she recently had a coffee with her former colleague Savannah Guthrie – and it made her realize that she misses their ‘instant daily connection’

Hoda Kotb left the Today show at the beginning of 2025(Image: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
Hoda Kotb has revealed what she misses the most since leaving the Today show.

The 60-year-old broadcaster stepped down from her position on the NBC program earlier this year and has since been spending more time with her two daughters, eight-year-old Haley and six-year-old Hope. Hoda said she has been enjoying her life since, but admitted she misses some aspects of her career until a few months ago, especially the relationships she built with her colleagues while working on the show.

Hoda said she recently had a coffee with her former colleague, Savannah Guthrie, and during that hour she realized how important that “instant daily connection” she felt while working at Today was for her. The mom-of-two also opened up on her plans for the future, as she works on her new wellness company, Joy 101.

Speaking about how her life has changed since leaving the show, Hoda told People, “On the very first day, I was scribbling in my journal and feeling a little off. There was a big, huge, full moon and it was so bright in my office, it was like a light was on. I still remember looking up and Haley scampered down the stairs and jumped in my lap. She looked and me and she goes, ‘You really are here.’ It was really, really beautiful.”

Hoda with her former colleagues Craig Melvin, Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker(Image: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
However, following her recent meeting with Savannah, 53, Hoda said, “I just had coffee with Savannah a little more than a week ago and we sat across from each other and, in that one hour, we laughed, we cried, we held hands. She shared all this personal stuff and I did too.

“And she asked me, ‘Tell me what it’s like on the other side.’ And I said, ‘I’ll tell you what I miss: I miss this.’ I miss walking in a room and having an instant daily connection that you don’t have to put on a calendar.”

Hoda added, “I saw Savannah and Jenna [Bush Hager] every day, without fail, and we shared our lives. It’s so funny. It’s not the work part of it, but I miss that a lot. It’s like an empty space for me.”

Earlier this week, Hoda revealed that her six-year-old daughter Hope was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. And while this wasn’t the sole reason she made the decision to leave Today, she admitted that it “definitely weighed in.”

She explained, “As anyone with a child who has Type 1 (knows), especially a little kid, you’re constantly watching, you’re constantly monitoring, you’re constantly checking, which is what I did all the time when I was (at Today). You’re distracted.” Hoda continued, “You just get a priority check in your life. I can be here and sweating what’s happening to Hope in the morning and in the night, or I can be there and feel relief that I can see.”

Hoda with Jenna Bush Hager on January 10(Image: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)

Describing their day-to-day life, Hoda explained, “Hope is fine for most of the day. There are just moments where you have to watch her. I was totaling it up – five minutes at breakfast, five minutes at lunch, five minutes at dinner, sometimes overnight. Add that up, that’s a half-hour. So for 23 and a half hours, she’s every other kid. So I try to remember that.”

Type 1 diabetes is a life-long, chronic autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, the Mayo Clinic explains. This prevents the body from producing insulin, which is a hormone that converts food into energy. If untreated, symptoms can include frequent urination, excessive thirst, extreme hunger, and fatigue. Some patients also experience unexplained weight loss, blurry vision, and slow-healing wounds.