Al Roker Shares His Thoughts on Hoda Kotb’s Departure From The Today Show: ‘I Would Feel Even More Upset…’
Al Roker extends his best wishes to his co-host, Hoda Kotb, who recently announced her departure from the Today Show. Last week, Kotb emotionally shared her decision to leave the talk show in order to prioritize her family and children.
Speaking to People Magazine at the Food & Wine Classic Charleston event, the 70-year-old journalist expressed his excitement for Kotb as she enters a new personal chapter in her life.
Al Roker, in an interview with an entertainment portal, confessed that he will miss his colleague and feels sad about Kotb’s departure. He emphasized, “Will I miss her day to day? Sure. But I’m just so happy for her that I can’t feel any sadness.”
He added, “I would feel much worse if she was leaving NBC News entirely, but she’s staying within our NBC News family.”
On September 26, Kotb penned a letter to NBC announcing her departure from the show. She wrote, “As I write this, my heart is torn.” She mentioned, “I know I’m making the right choice, but it’s a difficult one. And all of you are the reason. They say two things can be true at the same time, and I feel that deeply right now. I love you all and it’s time for me to say goodbye.”
The television personality admitted that her career in broadcast journalism has been fulfilling, but she feels it’s time to move on. She expressed mixed emotions about leaving the show but is looking forward to what the future holds.
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Understanding Hoda’s decision, Al Roker shared that when his children were young, he chose a job that allowed him to prioritize his family, just like Kotb is doing now. Despite her children being young, she has been working for a long time, and he fully supports her decision. He explained, “I completely understand why she made this choice.”
In her final episode on Today, Kotb mentioned the support she received from Al Roker when she battled breast cancer in 2007.
Although she is leaving the show, she expressed her commitment to remaining a part of the NBC family for many years to come.
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