Hoda Kotb made a shocking announcement on Today. The popular talk show host announced that she is leaving the morning talk show. According to the star, she has put a lot of thought into this decision. However, it not only took fans by surprise when she made the announcement. Many people at Today were also shocked.
Here is what you need to know.
Hoda Kotb Surprises Today Colleagues With Exit
It turns out that fans weren’t the only people taken by surprise when Hoda Kotb announced she was leaving The Today Show. It seems that her co-workers and colleagues on the morning talk show were also shocked when she made her big announcement this week.
On Thursday, September 26, Hoda Kotb announced she had made the “painful” decision to leave The Today Show. She has worked on the morning talk show for 17 years after coming up through the ranks of local news shows. Now, it turns out that she was keeping this decision close to the vest, as many at the show had no idea this was coming.
“This was a complete surprise to most people at the show,” a source said (via PEOPLE). “However, Hoda has put a lot of thought into it. She also talked a lot about it with both Savannah [Guthrie] and Jenna [Bush Hager]. Ultimately, she made the final decision in the interest of her girls. The show is focused on Hoda right now, not on filling the roles just yet.”
When Hoda said she was leaving, she admitted that she planned to spend a lot more time with her family. They played the biggest role in her deciding to leave the morning talk show grind.
How Did Hoda Kotb Reveal She Was Leaving The Today Show?
According to reports, Hoda Kotb shared the news to her colleagues in a letter to the staff. In the letter, she talked about how it wasn’t easy to come to this decision and admitted to why she felt it was the right time to leave The Today Show.
She wrote in the letter that her “heart is all over the map.” Hoda also said that she is making the right decision, albeit “painful.” She admitted that her colleagues is why the decision is so hard. Kotb said that while she loves them all, she also knows it is “time for me to leave the show.”
“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,” Hoda finished.
What are your thoughts on Hoda Kotb leaving The Today Show? Are you going to miss her every morning? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Shawn S. Lealos has been a freelance writer for over 25 years and is a voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He is also a published author with a book about the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers.