(WWLP) – Hoda Kotb has announced her departure from the “Today” show after nearly two decades on the program.
Kotb shared the news during Thursday’s show, saying she made the decision after celebrating a milestone birthday.
“I realized it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and try something new,” said Kotb, who added that she also wants to be able to spend more time with her children.
Kotb first joined NBC News as a correspondent for “Dateline” in 1998, but didn’t join the “Today” team until 2007, co-hosting the show’s fourth hour alongside Kathie Lee Gifford. Following Matt Lauer’s departure, Kotb has co-anchored “Today” with Savannah Guthrie since 2018, becoming part of the show’s first all-female anchor team.
Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb on NBC’s “Today” on August 12, 2024, in New York City. (Photo by NDZ/Star Max/GC Images via Getty Images)
Kotb said she’ll be leaving “Today” in early 2025, but revealed she’ll stay “in the NBC family.”
“This is what the top of the wave feels like for me,” she said during Thursday’s segment. “I thought, ‘It can’t get better.’ And I decided that this is the right time for me to, kind of, move on.”
