Longtime NBC anchor Hoda Kotb has announced her decision to step down early next year from her role on the “Today” show after nearly three decades at the network.
In a heartfelt memo to her team and an emotional on-air statement surrounded by her co-workers on Thursday, Kotb explained that turning 60 this summer prompted her to reevaluate her priorities.
“I was doing the math, and I realized that I have spent 26 years at NBC,” she said, choking up as she encouraged herself to keep it together. She said turning 60 recently had been a “monumental” moment, prompting her to consider what the decade ahead would hold for her.
“And I realized that it was time for me to turn a page at 60 and to try something new,” she added, as she remembered celebrating her birthday with her colleagues recently.
Kotb has co-anchored “Today” alongside Savannah Guthrie since 2018, stepping in after Matt Lauer’s departure amid sexual misconduct allegations. She also co-hosted the show’s fourth hour with Jenna Bush Hager, following a long-running partnership with Kathie Lee Gifford.
Kotb joined NBC News in 1998 as a correspondent for “Dateline” before becoming a part of the “Today” team in 2007.
Her daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, were key factors in her decision to step away from her high-profile role. “Obviously, I had my kiddos late in life,” Kotb said. “And I was thinking that they deserve a bigger slice of my time pie.”
During her on-air announcement, Kotb struggled to hold back tears, saying, “It’s kind of a big deal for me. ” She sobbed, “I’ve been practicing so I wouldn’t cry, but anyway, I did.”
Guthrie, her co-anchor for over five years, responded emotionally as well. “When you look around and see these tears, they’re love. You are so loved. We don’t want to imagine this place without you.”
Guthrie said she was proud of Kotb for leaving at the top of her game.
Jenna Bush Hager assured her colleague that she wouldn’t let her goodbye be a farewell. “I’m going to be showing up at your house like the stalker you are to Zac Brown,” she said.
Craig Melvin praised Kotb for being a genuine person.
“People in this business, when that little red light, it goes off, they’re different people,” he said. “You’re the opposite. That little red light goes off, you are exactly like people see you in the morning—just the biggest heart.”
In her farewell message, Kotb expressed her deep gratitude to her colleagues, giving special shoutouts to Guthrie, Hager, and Roker. “Savannah: my rock. Jenna: my ride-or-die. Al: my longest friend at 30 Rock,” she wrote.
While Kotb is stepping away from her morning show duties, she reassured colleagues and fans that she would remain connected to the people at NBC. “Happily and gratefully, I plan to remain a part of the NBC family… How could I not? Family is family, and you all will always be a part of mine,” she wrote.