After nearly two decades of being a presence on NBC’s Today show, Hoda Kotb is stepping away from her anchor duties. In a letter to the Today staff on Thursday, Sept. 26, Kotb shared her decision to leave to focus on her kids.
“As I write this, my heart is all over the map,” the journalist wrote. “I know I’m making the right decision, but it’s a painful one. And you all are the reason why. They say two things can be right at the same time, and I’m feeling that so deeply right now. I love you and it’s time for me to leave the show.”
Kotb, who has been a fixture of the morning show for 17 years, explained her decision, saying, “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.”
While Kotb will continue in her role until early 2025, fans will still see her on NBC in a reduced capacity.
“Happily and gratefully, I plan to remain a part of the NBC family, the longest work relationship I’ve been lucky enough to hold close to my heart. I’ll be around. How could I not? Family is family and you all will always be a part of mine,” Kotb said.
Kotb’s decision to focus more on her family comes after a challenging year. Earlier in 2023, her youngest daughter, Hope Catherine, faced a serious health crisis, requiring a stay in the ICU. The ordeal was a difficult time for Kotb, who shared her experience with PEOPLE in March.
“We had a scary stretch,” Kotb told the publication. “Any parent who’s been through a scary thing with their child understands. It’s like you just can’t believe that your child’s sick. You can’t believe that there’s nothing you can do.”
Thankfully, Hope’s health has since stabilized, though Kotb has chosen to keep the details of daughter’s diagnosis private. “It’s really tricky, because I don’t want Hope to get labeled. She’s a kid who is so vibrant, and most days everything is totally fine. I don’t want people to look at her differently.”
Hoda shares her two daughters with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman. Following a breast cancer diagnosis in 2007 that left her unable to conceive, Kotb adopted her first daughter, Haley Joy, in 2017. Her family grew in 2019 with the adoption of her second daughter, Hope Catherine.
