Hoda Kotb explains her decision to leave Today show after over a decade
Hoda Kotb has made the difficult decision to step away from her long-standing role at the Today show. After nearly twenty years on the morning show, the 60-year-old shared that her daughters Haley and Hope were the inspiration behind her choice.
“Obviously I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have,” Kotb explained during an interview on Today. “I feel like we only have a finite amount of time. And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world.”
Having worked at NBC News for many years before joining Today in 2007, Kotb also wrote a heartfelt letter to her colleagues at the network, which was published on Today.com on Sept. 26.
“My sixtieth birthday celebration on the Plaza felt like a shift,” she reflected. “Like a massive, joyful YES, you are! I saw it all so clearly: 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. I will miss you all desperately, but I’m ready and excited.”