Hoda Kotb shares ‘agonizing’ details on shock Today show exit: ‘Something’s gotta give’
Hoda Kotb revealed that her decision to leave the Today Show came after she thought about how she wanted to spend her 60s.
The mother of two – who the cover story is for People magazine – explained that her two daughters were the main reason why she chose to leave her position – specifically because she wanted to spend more time with them.
The presenter, 60, said she struggled with wanting to be with her children and being excellent at her job, but found it difficult to combine the two.
Hoda is mother to two daughters, Haley Joy, seven, and Hope Catherine, four, both of whom she adopted.
Hoda Kotb revealed that her decision to leave the Today Show came after she reflected on how she wanted to spend her 60s
The mother of two – who is the cover story of People magazine – explained that her two daughters were the main reason why she chose to leave her position – specifically because she wanted to spend more time with them; pictured on October 8 in NYC
‘There’s a sense of guilt that you carry with you because you can’t be 100% at work and 100% at home. If you want excellence, you have to give. If you want to be excellent at work, there has to be something to offer at home.”
Hoda continued, “And if you want to be excellent at home, I mean excellent, and do everything, then there has to be something to offer at work. It can’t be equal.’
“I knew I wanted this decade to be different. I saw my time as a pie. I thought: this is how much time I get, and what am I going to do with it now and how am I going to divide it?’ Hoda said.
Adding, “And I wanted it to be filled with more of them.”
Hoda announced she would be leaving the Today show in an announcement on September 26 — after 17 years as co-host of the Today Show at 10 a.m. and 25 years at NBC.
She will resign from her position at the beginning of 2025.
Hoda is mother to two daughters, Haley Joy, seven, and Hope Catherine, four, both of whom she adopted
The star said she started thinking about what she wanted to do next in her life after she turned 60, and wondered what that would look like.
‘I like adventure, I like new beginnings. I’m a sunrise person and not a sunset person, and I wondered, what does it look like for me?’
One of the things Hoda looks forward to is taking her daughters to school.
The host said she had to wake up at 3:30am every day, including weekends, for work – meaning she would be tired by 9pm.
“I’m not going to play ‘beat the clock’ all the time anymore,” she said.
Hoda and her daughters have moved from Manhattan’s Upper West Side and now live in a house in Westchester, where the star says she has a swing and a garden.
Hoda’s youngest daughter Hope suffered a medical crisis in February 2023, which she did not want to make public, which also led to her decision to move them out of town.
One of the things Hoda looks forward to is taking her daughters to school; seen May 13
“We are in a place where Hope is flourishing. She’s improving, we’re watching her, and I think we’ll get a better handle on it as time goes on, but we’re already seeing big differences,” she told the outlet.
‘We really have excellent care, I have people who help us. “I feel like she has gained a foothold,” she added.