TODAY executives haven’t given up on keeping Hoda Kotb on the show, and are begging her to stay despite her exit announcement.

A source exclusively told The U.S. Sun that NBC higher-ups still believe they can stop Hoda from leaving the morning show altogether.

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A source told The U.S. Sun that NBC execs are still trying to convince Hoda Kotb, with Jenna Bush Hager on air, to stay on at Today even if it’s only one day a weekCredit: Getty

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Hoda tearfully announced her upcoming departure on Today last weekCredit: NBC
“There are negotiations in the works with pleas for her to do one day a week like Barbara Walters once did on The View,” the source said.

“That’s why she’s been very vague about when she’s leaving and what she’s doing next. They’re still figuring it out.

“She wants to do prime-time specials like Diane Sawyer does for ABC.

“This isn’t the last we’ve seen of Hoda.”

MORE THAN MONEY

The insider also took issue with a Puck report that Hoda, 60, was asked to take a pay cut. Puck reported the alleged cut was the real reason behind her exit at Today.

“That’s not true, they are begging her to stay. Plus, Hoda has never cared about money. She’s not flashy.”

An insider previously said NBC execs had been trying to convince Hoda to stay on full-time at Today, but she “just didn’t want to do it.”

“Hoda feels at 60 years old, morning TV is a young person’s game,” the source said, adding that a 4 am wakeup time “messes up your whole life.”

They added that it came down to wanting more time with her girls and finding love again.

ALL ABOUT THE GIRLS

The single mother of two has wanted to dedicate more time to her adopted daughters, Hope, 5, and Haley, 7.

Hoda Kotb reveals reason she broke up with ex-fiance Joel Schiffman saying ‘lot of people probably’ in same situation
With the hours that come from working at Today, the insider said that by the time her daughters get out of school, she’s just “completely wiped.”

They also added that last year, when her youngest daughter, Hope, fell ill and was hospitalized “everything changed for her with her views on work.”

Frighteningly, Hoda’s daughter was hospitalized in February 2023, though the host has not disclosed the nature of her illness.

TODAY Show hosts

NBC’s Today show premiered in 1952 and has bidden viewers good morning every weekday since, adding Saturday and Sunday shows in the 1980s and 1990s. The show’s current host lineup includes:

Hoda Kotb
Al Roker
Savannah Guthrie
Craig Melvin
Jenna Bush Hager
Carson Daly
Sheinelle Jones
Dylan Dreyer
Peter Alexander
Kristen Welker
Willie Geist

At the crux of Hoda’s decision to leave Today was her struggle to find a manageable work-life balance.

The insider claimed that doing morning TV is akin to being an athlete, and that “your whole life revolves around it.”

Adding to the conflicting scheduling pressures is that Hoda’s 8 pm bedtime became earlier than her daughters’ now that they are no longer toddlers.

HODA’S NEXT ACT 

Hoda will be changing gears to special correspondent work and interviewing celebrities in long-format segments, they added.

She will continue recording her podcast, Making Space, and the accomplished children’s author will also continue writing books, according to the insider.

SHOCKING ANNOUNCEMENT

Hoda took Today viewers by surprise last week when she abruptly announced she was leaving the show in the middle of Thursday’s broadcast.

“So I was doing the math, and I realized I have spent 26 years at NBC – be cool, be cool,” Hoda began, on the verge of tears.

“I just turned 60, and it was such a monumental moment for me when I turned 60 years old…What does that decade mean?…And I realize it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new.”

“I thought, it can’t get better. And I decided that this is the right time to move on.”

Her co-stars, including Savannah Guthrie, also grew emotional as she made her speech.

“When you look around and see these tears, they’re love. You are so loved. I don’t think any of us can imagine this place without you,” Savannah said, her voice cracking.

“So it’s complicated because we love you so much and don’t want you to ever go.

“I am so proud of my friend. You have guts. For someone to leave at the top of their game, to leave something that’s wonderful, that you love, where it’s easy and comfortable and beautiful and fun and say, but I dream even bigger for myself.”

Hoda ended her announcement by assuring fans and her colleagues that she would stay in the NBC family, but exit Today by early 2025.

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Hoda Kotb said she wants to give her daughters, Hope and Haley, more of her “time pie”Credit: Instgram/hodakotb

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Hoda Kotb announced she was leaving Today and told fans her run on the show is over in 2025Credit: Getty

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Hoda Kotb told Today Show fans she is expected to wrap up her time at Today in 2025 (pictured on the show)