Hoda Kotb Shares the Truth Behind Why She Decided to Exit the ‘Today’ Show

Hoda Kotb Is Returning to TODAY with a Special Announcement

It’s the end of an era, morning show fans. After almost three decades on NBC and close to 20 years as a face on the Today show, Hoda Kotb is stepping down as a co-host.

The news anchor shocked viewers around the world during the September 26 taping, revealing the emotional news of her leaving after 26 years live on the air. According to Variety, Hoda plans on staying with the hit daytime series through early 2025. The outlet also notes this will open up two roles on the Today show team, as she will also be leaving her regular co-anchoring position during the show’s fourth hour segment with Jenna Bush Hager.

“I realized it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new,” she emotionally stated in a clip posted on Instagram. “I decided that this is the right time for me to kind of move on … With all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world.”

Given how she has been a staple on TV for so long, fans may be curious to learn the real reason behind why Hoda Kotb is leaving the Today show. It turns out there are a few important insights about her exit, and they all involve a new era she’s entering in her life.

Why is Hoda Kotb leaving the Today show?

There are multiple layers behind why Hoda is planning on leaving the Today show. According to her, one major element of it comes from wanting to spend more time with her daughters Haley and Hope, who are both under 10 years old and adopted later in Hoda’s life.

“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,” she said. “I feel like we only have a finite amount of time.”

 

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She also added to her thoughts on why she was leaving, and another element had to do with the fact she felt like she was ready for a new era after turning 60 back in August.

“My sixtieth birthday celebration on the Plaza felt like a shift,” she said in a letter sent to the Today staff. “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.”

Luckily, this won’t be the last we see of Hoda on the Today show. Deadline confirmed that she’ll still be a contributor after departing in early 2025, so she will remain part of the TV family in some shape or form.

We wish Hoda all the best!