Hoda Kotb

Hoda Kotb to Leave NBC’s Today Show in 2025

After 17 years as a beloved presence on NBC’s Today show, Hoda Kotb has announced her departure from the morning broadcast. On September 26, Kotb revealed on-air that she will step away from her hosting duties in early 2025.

During an August birthday celebration on the show, Kotb reflected on the decision: “I realized it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and try something new.” She also emphasized her desire to spend more time with her daughters, 7-year-old Haley and 5-year-old Hope. “I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking they deserve a bigger piece of my time.”

Kotb joined NBC as a correspondent for Dateline in 1998 and became the host of Today’s fourth hour in 2007. She co-hosted alongside Kathie Lee Gifford for many years and currently works with Jenna Bush Hager. In 2018, she was named co-anchor of the show’s flagship 7 and 8 a.m. hours, alongside Savannah Guthrie.

While a final broadcast date has not been set, Kotb will remain with NBC beyond her departure from the Today show, though her future role has yet to be disclosed.

Who Is Hoda Kotb?

Hoda Kotb is a prominent American television personality, best known as the co-anchor of NBC’s Today show and co-host of Hoda & Jenna, the program’s 10 a.m. hour. Kotb’s broadcasting career began in 1986, working for news stations across various states and in Cairo, Egypt. In 1998, she joined NBC News as a correspondent for Dateline NBC, where she gained recognition for her investigative journalism and coverage of major global events. She became a beloved figure on Today in 2007 and was later named co-anchor of the show’s flagship 7 and 8 a.m. hours in 2018, marking a historic moment as she and Savannah Guthrie became the first all-female hosting duo in the program’s history. Kotb has announced plans to step down from her role at Today in early 2025.

Egyptian Heritage, American Upbringing

Born on August 9, 1964, in Norman, Oklahoma, Hoda Kotb is the daughter of Egyptian immigrants, Sami and Abdel Kader Kotb. Her parents moved from Cairo to the United States to pursue studies at the University of Oklahoma. Hoda, the middle child, was raised with her brother Adel and sister Hala in a predominantly English-speaking home. Although proud of their Egyptian heritage, Kotb’s parents wanted their children to fully assimilate into American culture.

She spent much of her childhood in Morgantown, West Virginia, and Alexandria, Virginia, with brief periods living in Nigeria and traveling to Egypt. Kotb graduated from Fort Hunt High School and then attended Virginia Tech, where she was active in the Delta Delta Delta sorority and the university’s radio station, WUVT.

During her college years, tragedy struck when her father died suddenly from a heart attack. The loss profoundly impacted Kotb, but she went on to graduate in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, marking the start of her distinguished media career.

A Distinguished Career in Journalism

After college, Kotb began her career as a news assistant for CBS in Cairo but struggled to find on-air opportunities. Undeterred by rejection, she eventually landed her first broadcasting job in Greenville, Mississippi, at a local CBS affiliate—a role she stumbled upon by accident after getting lost on a road trip.

From there, Kotb built her career through various reporting and anchoring positions at CBS and ABC affiliates in Illinois and Florida. She later joined WWL-TV in New Orleans, where she worked from 1992 to 1998 as a reporter and anchor.

NBC and Dateline Success

In 1998, Kotb’s career reached new heights when she joined NBC News as a correspondent for Dateline NBC. Her work on the program earned her widespread acclaim, particularly for her coverage of significant global events, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kotb was also part of the Dateline team that won a Peabody Award for the documentary The Education of Ms. Groves, which followed the experiences of a first-year teacher at an urban middle school in Atlanta.

In addition to her work on Dateline, Kotb conducted high-profile interviews with figures like Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi and hosted the weekly health-focused series Your Total Health from 2004 to 2008.

Hoda Kotb: From Fourth Hour Host to Today Co-Anchor

Hoda Kotb began hosting the 10 a.m. hour of NBC’s Today show in September 2007, marking the start of her long-running tenure on one of America’s most popular morning talk shows. In 2008, she was paired with veteran host Kathie Lee Gifford, forming a dynamic duo that would dominate the fourth hour with their easy banter, humor, and signature wine-filled chats. Their chemistry was so successful that they, along with the broader Today team, shared Daytime Emmy Awards for Best Morning News Program in 2010, 2011, and 2012.

While Kotb’s role on the fourth hour became iconic, her contributions to Today extended far beyond that. She regularly filled in for lead anchors Savannah Guthrie and Matt Lauer and covered major events, including the 2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Rio. In January 2018, Kotb made headlines as she was officially named co-anchor of Today’s 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. hours, making history alongside Guthrie as the first all-female hosting pair in the program’s history.

Kotb had been serving as interim co-host since November 2017 after Lauer’s departure. Her pairing with Guthrie was well-received, and the Today show outperformed its competitor, ABC’s Good Morning America, for four consecutive weeks, solidifying her promotion. Despite the added responsibility, Kotb continued to host the fourth hour. After Gifford’s departure in 2019, Kotb was joined by Jenna Bush Hager for the rebranded Today with Hoda & Jenna.

In addition to her Emmy wins, Kotb’s achievements include prestigious honors such as the Edward R. Murrow Award, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award, and four Gracie Awards.

A Breast Cancer Survivor’s Journey

In 2007, Kotb’s life took an unexpected turn when she was diagnosed with breast cancer after her gynecologist discovered lumps during a routine exam. Although she had previously hosted Your Total Health, Kotb had never undergone a mammogram herself. She chose to forgo chemotherapy but underwent a mastectomy, a challenging procedure that required both mental and physical recovery. Throughout her journey, Kotb maintained a journal, ending each entry with the word “forward,” symbolizing her determination to move beyond her struggles.

Later that year, Kotb decided to share her story publicly during an October episode of Today in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Her decision to go public helped raise awareness and inspire others facing similar challenges.

Author, Radio Host, and Podcaster

Beyond her broadcasting work, Kotb is also a successful author. In 2010, she released her memoir, Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee. She has since written several more books, including Ten Years Later: Six People Who Faced Adversity and Transformed Their Lives (2013) and Where They Belong: The Best Decisions People Almost Never Made (2016). Additionally, Kotb has published three children’s books, further expanding her literary accomplishments.

In February 2015, Kotb added radio host to her résumé with the launch of The Hoda Show on SiriusXM’s Today Show Radio. The show adopted a similar format to Today’s fourth hour but allowed listeners to call in and interact with her. She wrapped up her radio show in February 2022, but her passion for storytelling remained. In September 2021, she launched the Making Space with Hoda Kotb podcast, where she interviews notable guests like Rita Moreno, Steve Harvey, Simone Biles, and Jonathan Haidt, discussing life lessons and personal growth.

Personal Life: Children and Relationships

Although Kotb faced fertility challenges following her cancer treatment, she embraced motherhood through adoption. In February 2017, she adopted her first daughter, Haley Joy, introducing her to the world on Today during Mother’s Day weekend. Two years later, in April 2019, she adopted another daughter, Hope Catherine, who faced a health scare in 2023 but has since made a full recovery.

Kotb’s personal life has seen its ups and downs. She was married to Burzis Kanga, a former tennis coach at the University of New Orleans, in 2005, but the couple divorced two years later. In 2013, she began a highly publicized relationship with financier Joel Schiffman. They announced their engagement in November 2019, but in January 2022, Kotb revealed that they had decided to part ways.

Kotb’s resilience, both professionally and personally, continues to inspire her audience, making her one of the most beloved figures in morning television today.