Hoda Kotb is leaving “Today” after five years co-anchoring NBC’s morning show, and nearly 20 years there in total.
The longtime NBC veteran announced Thursday that, after turning 60 on the air last month, “it’s time” to end this chapter in her life. She will finish the year at the desk, then transition to an as-yet-undefined role at the network — which she called “the longest professional love affair of my life.”
“I realized it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and try something new,” Kotb recalled on Thursday’s broadcast.
In a letter to the show’s staff, Kotb — whose tenure also included a decade on “Dateline” — wrote that she “made the right decision, but it’s painful.
“And all of you are the reason for that. They say two things can be right at the same time, and I feel that so deeply right now,” Kotb continued. “I love you and it’s time for me to leave the show.”
Kotb joined “Today” in 2007 and hosted the fourth hour, first with Kathie Lee Gifford and now with Jenna Bush Hager. She began co-anchoring officially in 2018, after a temporary hiatus in the wake of Matt Lauer’s firing in 2017 for sexual harassment.
Kotb paid tribute to her “Today” and NBC family, including her “rock” Savannah Guthrie, her “ride-or-die” Bush Hager and Al Roker, whom she counts as her “longest friend on 30 Rock.”
Although she had “considered this decision for quite some time,” Kotb didn’t know for sure she was “really ready” until her birthday.
The milestone made Kotb realize it was time to focus more time on her role as a mother 7-year-old Haley Joy and 5-year-old Hope Catherineboth adopted with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman. The couple called off their engagement in 2022.
Early last year, Hope experienced a health crisis that made it necessary several days in the intensive care unit and over a week in the hospital.
“We had a scary stretch,” Kotb told People in March. “Any parent who’s been through a scary thing with their child understands. … You can’t believe there’s nothing you can do.”
Kotb said she will still “be around” at NBC. “How could I not? Family is family and you will always be a part of mine.”
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