NBC News ‘Today’ beloved flagship Hoda Kotb has been “today” for about 20 years, and announced on Thursday that she will step down from the network’s flagship morning show early next year.
She said she made the decision after turning 60 last month. “I turned the page at age 60 and realized it was time to try something new,” she says, fighting back tears and surrounded by fellow hosts.
KOTB has been sharing “Today” with Savanna Guthrie since early 2018. They were the first all-female anchor team at the show.
Visibly emotional Guthrie said the “today” team “don’t want to imagine this place without you.” Guthrie praised Kotobu with her “guts” and said she was leaving at “the top of (her) game.”
In a written message to her colleagues, Kotb said that her daughter and her mother “deserve and need to deserve a bigger slice of my time pie.”
Kotb said he will remain “today” until early next year and will continue with NBC in an unspecified role. (NBC News did not immediately announce her successor.)
“Thanks for your happiness, I intend to remain part of the NBC family. I’m lucky enough to be close to my heart. I’m around. Why can’t I do it?”
“Family is family and you will always be part of me,” she wrote.
“Today” with the legendary “Today” weather, co-host Al Roker paid tribute to KOTB.
“Today” was one of the drivers of NBC’s Marquee TV franchise and advertising revenue. “Today” has surpassed ABC’s “Good Morning America” among adults aged 25-54 for 58 consecutive weeks, according to Nielsen statistics cited by the network.
KOTB joined NBC News in 1998 as a correspondent for Dateline. She covered a wide array of national and international news stories before joining the “Today” team in 2007, and co-hosted the fourth hour of the show with Kathie Lee Gifford.
Kotb and Gifford attracted loyal supporters with easy-going jokes and interviews with lively celebrities. Kotb is currently co-hosting the fourth hour of “Today” with Jenna Bush Hager.
KOTB temporarily stepped into the “Today” co-anchor role in November 2017 after NBC News fired Matt Lauer after detailed complaints from a woman who accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior.
She took over as a co-anchor duty permanently in early 2018. In an on-air statement at the time, Guthrie said, “This must be the most popular decision NBC News has ever made, and I’m very excited.”
Kotob and Guthrie shared “today” news time in some of the most important chapters in recent history, including Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the Covid Pandemic and the Israel-Hamas War.
Kotb recorded his own stories, including experiences with breast cancer and the adoption of two daughters, 7-year-old Haley and 5-year-old hoped.
In her written message, Kotb said, “We have plenty of time to talk about what’s going on for all of us.”
“But this is one thing I know now. Everything will go well,” she wrote. “The peacock feathers never ruffle… no matter who comes or goes. “Today” and their wonderful people – you guys – never waver. You always have a better weather. ”
