Hoda Kotb Shocks Television World, TODAY Show Colleagues React to Star’s Departure

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Hoda Kotb is outta there, folks.

Or she volition beryllium beauteous soon astatine least.

On Thursday morning, the long-time tv property stunned viewers by saying she has decided to permission The TODAY Show, effectual connected January 1, 2025.

Hoda Kotb announces present that she is leaving the TODAY show. (Nathan Congleton / TODAY)

“I realized that it was clip for maine to crook the leafage astatine 60, and to effort thing new,” Kotb said connected air.

“I remembered lasting extracurricular looking astatine these beauteous clump of radical with these gorgeous signs, and I thought, ‘This is what the apical of the question feels similar for me.’

“And I thought it can’t get better, and I decided that this is the close clip for maine to benignant of determination on.”

Indeed, Kotb celebrated this milestone day successful August — and explained however the juncture inspired the determination she has present yet arrived at.

Hoda Kotb attends the 2024 US Open astatine USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center connected September 8, 2024 successful New York City. (Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images)

This is what she said:

“I thought astir — obviously, I had my kiddos precocious successful beingness — and I was reasoning they merit a bigger portion of my time, the pastry that I have. I consciousness similar we lone person a finite magnitude of time. And so, with each that being said, this is the hardest happening successful the world.

Kotb shares daughters Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, with her ex-fiancé, Joel Schiffman.

The co-host volition stay a portion of the “NBC family” going forward, Kotb emphasized, but not successful the benignant of regular capableness she’s enjoyed for the past 17 years connected TODAY.

Hoda Kotb attends ‘Prelude to the Olympics’ astatine Fondation Louis Vuitton connected July 25, 2024 successful Paris, France. (Photo by Julien M. Hekimian/Getty Images for LVMH x Vogue x NBC)

In the aftermath of this news, Kotb’s colleagues responded with connection of gratitude, astonishment admiration and a small spot of sorrow.

“Hoda, we emotion you truthful much, and erstwhile you look astir and you spot these tears, they’re love. You are truthful loved. And honestly, I don’t deliberation immoderate of america tin ideate — we don’t privation to ideate this spot without you,” Savannah Guthrie said done tears.

“So, it’s analyzable ‘cause we emotion you truthful overmuch and we don’t privation you to ever go.”

To her friend, she added:

“You person guts. For idiosyncratic to permission astatine the apical of their game, to permission thing that’s wonderful, that you love, wherever it’s casual and comfy and beauteous and amusive and say, ‘But I imagination adjacent bigger for myself…’ You person truthful overmuch guts. You animate me. I emotion you.”

Hoda Kotb attends the Hudson River Park Friends 8th Annual Playground Committee Luncheon astatine Current astatine Chelsea Piers connected March 8, 2024 successful New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Friends of Hudson River Park)

Said Jenna Bush Hager:

“Hoda told maine conscionable a mates days ago, and erstwhile she told me, my archetypal absorption was from my gut and it was astir crazy. … I said, ‘No, you can’t leave.’

“You’re who I travel to erstwhile I’m feeling joyful, erstwhile I’m feeling unsure. You are who I travel to and you believed successful maine first,” she continued. “We person a batch of bosses advertisement I emotion them, but this lady, connected October 28, 2013 — I looked it up — said, ‘Hey, wanna travel beryllium adjacent to me? There’s room.’”

Then determination was this from Sheinelle Jones:

“The 1 happening that radical cognize for definite astir this radical is we are family. And I’m telling you, Hoda has a narration with each azygous idiosyncratic connected this sofa successful her ain way, truthful I deliberation we’re each conscionable benignant of wrestling with it inside.

“But we besides cognize what a dynamic ma you are, and beingness you are. And your full question with wellness. You are going to alteration the world.

“And we cognize it.”

Hoda Kotb speaks during the Hudson River Park Friends 8th Annual Playground Committee Luncheon astatine Current astatine Chelsea Piers connected March 8, 2024 successful New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Friends of Hudson River Park)

And Al Roker:

“I person ne'er known anybody similar you. I’ve known you forever, and I emotion you…

We’ll springiness the last, affectional connection to Craig Melvin:

“People successful this business, erstwhile that small reddish light, erstwhile it goes off, they’re antithetic people. We’ve worked with each these radical before. You’re the opposite.

“When that small reddish airy goes off, you are precisely similar radical spot you successful the greeting — conscionable the biggest heart. You’ve been the bosom of the amusement for a agelong time, and there’s nary replacing that…

“It is bittersweet quality for us, large quality for Hope and Haley.”

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