CHANGING PRIORITIES

Hoda Kotb Reveals Why She Really Left ‘Today’

Kotb got candid about her January 2025 departure from the long-running morning show.

Hoda Kotb has no regrets about departing from Today. Speaking to People, Kotb reflected on her emotional decision to leave the long-running morning show in January after 18 years. And rest assured, there was no bad blood behind her departure. Instead, Kotb, 60, chose to prioritize time with her two daughters, Haley, 8, and Hope, 6, after Hope was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Since her diagnosis, Kotb says Hope requires “constant care,” which made the show’s rigid schedule too difficult to maintain. However, the mom of two assured People that Hope remains a “happy, healthy, rambunctious, amazing kid.” Kotb first joined Today in 2007 as host of its fourth hour broadcast, where she became a breakout star alongside co-host Kathy Lee Gifford. In 2018, she took on anchoring the show’s main hour alongside Savannah Guthrie, making them the first female anchor duo in Today’s 73-year history. Kotb previously told Jimmy Fallon that she’d realized it was time to leave the show while celebrating her 60th birthday last summer. Kotb remains on good terms with her former co-hosts, and even revisited her old job this week as a recurring guest on Jenna Bush Hager’s solo hour, Today with Jenna & Friends.