Hoda Kotb Announces Departure from ‘Today’ After 17 Years

Hoda Kotb, the beloved co-host of NBC‘s ‘Today‘ show, will bid farewell to the morning program on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, after 17 years. Kotb, who joined the show in 2007 as part of its inaugural four-hour weekday broadcast, announced her departure during the Sept. 26, 2024, episode, citing a desire to prioritize her family and personal well-being.

Kotb, 60, shared that her decision to leave was influenced by her role as a mother to her two adoptive daughters, Haley Joy and Hope Catherine. ‘I knew that I wanted this decade to be different. I looked at my time like a pie. I wanted it to be filled with more of them,’ she said in an interview. Her youngest daughter, Hope, faced a medical crisis in 2023, which further underscored Kotb’s desire to spend more time with her family.

Kotb’s final week on ‘Today’ has been celebrated as a ‘Hoda-bration,’ featuring surprises, heartfelt tributes, and a live audience. On Jan. 6, 2025, she was joined by 60 of her Tri Delt sorority sisters on the show’s plaza, a moment she described as ‘shocking’ and ‘heartfelt.’ She also received a personalized painting from Charlie Mackesy, author of ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse,’ a book she holds dear.

Following her departure, Kotb plans to venture into the wellness space, launching a wellness app and hosting retreats. ‘It’s not like going to Mexico with your girls, which is fun, but this is something that when you leave, you’ll go like, ‘Oh my gosh. I feel transformed. I feel different,’’ she explained during an appearance on ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show.’

Kotb’s exit marks the end of an era for ‘Today,’ where she became a household name alongside co-hosts like Kathie Lee Gifford and Savannah Guthrie. Her legacy includes breaking barriers as part of the first female anchor duo on the show following Matt Lauer‘s departure in 2018. Jenna Bush Hager, who replaced Gifford in 2019, will continue to host the fourth-hour segment, now featuring a rotating cast of guest hosts, including Scarlett Johansson, Taraji P. Henson, and Eva Longoria.

‘Saying goodbye to something this amazing is hard,’ Kotb told her colleagues. ‘But I think this decade, I’m going to have to start choosing me.’