On September 26, longtime television personality Hoda Kotb made a headline-grabbing announcement when she revealed that she would be stepping down from her role as co-anchor of the Today show after an impressive 17-year run on the air. During a candid conversation with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, Kotb reflected on her departure, describing it as a “weird” and emotionally complex experience. She admitted that leaving a job that had become such a huge part of her identity wasn’t easy and that adjusting to the change brought on a mix of feelings—ranging from nostalgia and gratitude to uncertainty. Despite the bittersweet nature of her exit, Kotb remained hopeful and enthusiastic about whatever lies ahead, reassuring fans that she’s embracing this new chapter with an open heart.

 

Hoda Kotb revealed on September 26 that she was leaving the Today show after 17 years(Image: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)

Hoda Kotb “knew” it was her time to depart from the Today show.

The talk show host appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday, October 7 and revealed that her decision to leave came after she turned 60-years-old over the summer. Hoda announced that she would be exiting the morning show on September 26.

She said: “When I turned 60, something weird happened, man. I turned 60 and we had this beautiful party at the Today show and I looked out at the sea of all the people who came and beautiful signs and so many well wishes and I knew in my heart like, this is it, man. This is what the mountaintop must feel like. Like I’d never had that feeling before.”

Hoda has been with the NBC network for 26 years and hosted the Today show for 17. She and her co-anchor, Savannah Guthrie, made history when they became the first pair of female co-hosts on the series. The TV personality also made historic memories with her co-emcee Jenna Bush Hager over the years. Hoda got candid with Fallon and noted that she woke up everyday at 3:15 a.m. for 17 years to emcee Today and it will be “totally weird” for her to just ignore her alarm clock.
           
When she made the announcement on Today last month, the broadcaster admitted that she made the decision to leave because she wanted to spend more time with her two daughters, Haley and Hope. She adopted Haley in 2017 and Hope in 2019 with her ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman. Hoda also confessed to Jimmy that she told her kids that she would finally be able to take them to school after she makes her grand exit from Today.

Hoda’s replacement has yet to be announced(Image: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)

It was not revealed who would be replacing Hoda in 2025, but she did share that she would stay with the network in some capacity.

She joked: “I was telling them, ‘Mommy is going to be able to take you to school,’ and they go, ‘[Gasp] Wednesday?’ ‘No honey, not Wednesday.’ ‘Next week?’ I go, ‘No honey, not next week. Probably somewhere January, February’ They said, ‘January, February?’ I might as well continue working forever. For them it’s like till the end.”