NEW YORK, NY. (THECOUNT) — After nearly 20 years with NBC, Hoda Kotb has announced her decision to step away from the “TODAY” show. In an emotional segment, Kotb shared, “I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and try something new.” She added, “I remembered standing outside looking at the beautiful bunch of people with these gorgeous signs, and I thought, ‘This is what the top of the wave feels like for me.’ And I thought it can’t get better, and I decided that this is the right time for me to kind of move on.”
One of Kotb’s main reasons for stepping down is her desire to spend more time with her family, particularly her two adopted daughters. “Obviously I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have. I feel like we only have a finite amount of time. And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world,” she explained.
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Hoda has two children, Haley Joy, 7, and Hope Catherine, 4. Hoda adopted Haley in 2017 and Hope in 2019 with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman. Haley is named after Halley’s Comet, telling People that it’s because “once in a blue moon that something beautiful like that happens.” It’s worth noting that when Hope is 24 years old, Hoda will be the ripe old age of 80.
Kotb’s adoption journey began in her mid-to-late 50s, a decision that made her life profoundly fulfilling. In 2017, Kotb adopted her first daughter, Haley Joy, at the age of 52, followed by Hope Catherine two years later. Her journey as an adoptive mother was a key part of her public life, and she often shared her joys and challenges of parenthood. Despite her late start in motherhood, Kotb became a role model for many women considering adoption later in life, proving that it’s never too late to fulfill your dream of being a parent.
She joined “TODAY” in 2007 as a co-host for the show’s fourth hour and spent 16 years on the 10 a.m. hour. Reflecting on her journey with NBC, Kotb wrote, “My time at NBC has been the longest professional love affair of my life. But only because you’ve been beside me on this twenty-six-year adventure.”
She continued by expressing her deep gratitude for her colleagues and the friendships she had made along the way. “I’m picturing your faces and your families and all the ways you’ve lifted me up and inspired me. That’s my heart singing. So many of my professional relationships have become some of my most cherished friendships.”
Kotb explained that her decision had been brewing for a while, but she became certain after turning 60. “My sixtieth birthday celebration on the Plaza felt like a shift. Like a massive, joyful YES, you are! I saw it all so clearly: my broadcast career has been beyond meaningful, a new decade of my life lies ahead, and now my daughters and my mom need and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie. I will miss you all desperately, but I’m ready and excited.”
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