UNEXPECTED REVELATION

Hoda Kotb SHARES the Surprising Aspect of ‘Today’ She Misses Most, Highlighting the Importance of Daily Camaraderie

It’s been five months since Hoda Kotb walked away from one of the most coveted spots in broadcasting, as co-anchor of the Today show. In that time she’s been settling into a new life, relishing the amount of time she has for her daughters Haley, 8, and Hope, 6.

She’s also making plans for the future, with a new wellness company, Joy 101, complete with an app, live events and a subscription newsletter that will all center around themes of joy, mindfulness, meditation and wellness.

“When someone erases your schedule and says, ‘Okay, here you go. Have fun,’ you’re sitting there going, ‘Oh my gosh, what am I supposed to be doing right now?’” Kotb, 60, tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story.

Hoda Kotb at home on April 30, 2025.Brian Doben

“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.”

But she admits she does miss her old life.

Hoda Kotb and daughters Hope, 6, and Haley, 8.Brian Doben

“I do. I just had coffee with Savannah [Guthrie] 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,’” Kotb recalls. “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.”

She adds, “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.”

Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb on January 10, 2025.Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

That feeling is mutual. “I’ve missed her giggle so much,” says Guthrie. “She could really walk in a room, giggle, and everything in the world just fades away.”

Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on January 10, 2025.Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

To read more about Hoda Kotb’s life after Today, pick up the newest issue of PEOPLE on stands now.

Kotb’s been into the city and back at her old Rockefeller Center stomping ground a few times since leaving Today, as she hosts her podcast Making Space from the Today offices.

On May 28, she went on Today to promote her new company — and stuck around as Bush Hager’s surprise guest host for the 10 o’clock hour as well.

Hoda Kotb photographed at home on April 30, 2025.Brian Doben

“Every time I walk in, I feel warm and fuzzy,” says Kotb. “It’s not like when you break up with someone you’re like, ‘Oh God, there he is!’ I don’t feel that. I want to see everybody. And look, the pictures are now Craig [Melvin] and Savannah. I like looking at them. I’m not like, ‘Well that was quick!’”