In a stunning move that will likely disrupt the TV morning show landscape, Hoda Kotb announced Thursday she is departing NBC’s “Today.”
Kotb informed viewers of her decision during the program. She said in a note to the “Today” staff that she plans to stay with the network in a new role that has not been specified. She will step away from “Today” early next year.
“They say two things can be right at the same time, and I’m feeling that so deeply right now,” Kotb wrote in a memo to staff. “I love you and it’s time for me to leave the show.”
In her tearful remarks on the air, she cited a desire to spend time with her young daughters.
Kotb has been co-host of the program alongside Savannah Guthrie since 2018. She stepped into the role after Matt Lauer was fired over what the network called inappropriate sexual behavior. She is also the co-host of the fourth hour of the program with Jenna Bush.
Kotb said in her note she considered departing for some time and came to the decision after her 60th birthday was celebrated on Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan where fans gather daily to watch the show on its street level studio.
“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,” Kotb wrote. “I will miss you all desperately, but I’m ready and excited.”
Kotb joined “Today” as part of the team that hosted its third hour and her presence across the franchise grew. She became co-host of a fourth hour with daytime TV legend Kathie Lee Gifford in 2008. The freewheeling atmosphere created by the pair was a departure for “Today” and became a pop culture sensation.
Viewers have watched her successfully battle breast cancer and adopt two children during her run on the program, where cast members often share the milestones and challenges in their personal lives.
Born in Norman, Okla., to parents of Egyptian descent, Kotb graduated from Virginia Tech before launching a career in local TV. After stints in Fort Myers, Fla., and New Orleans, she joined NBC News as a correspondent for “Dateline” in 1998.