Hoda Kotb said the decision to leave Today became clear during a celebration of her 60th birthday with the show’s staff. She later described that realization to Jimmy Fallon as a personal high point. Kotb announced her planned departure on September 26, 2024, and her final day as a Today co-host was January 10, 2025.
When Kotb said she knew it was time to leave
On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on October 7, 2024, Kotb recalled looking around at the people gathered for her birthday celebration at Today. Their signs and well-wishes made her feel she had reached a personal peak. “I knew in my heart, like, ‘This is it, man,’” she said, as reported by Us Weekly.
Kotb turned 60 in August 2024. The interview report does not specify the date of the staff celebration, so the birthday gathering is best understood as the moment she later identified—not as the date she publicly announced her decision.
Why Kotb said she was leaving
In her September 26, 2024 announcement on Today, Kotb connected her decision to turning 60 and thinking about the decade ahead. She said she wanted her daughters to have more of her time. Her departure memo, quoted by the Associated Press, also said her daughters and mother “need and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie.”
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On Fallon’s show, she also joked about leaving behind the show’s 3:15 a.m. wake-up routine. The family reasons were central to her explanation; the early start was a lighter detail she mentioned while discussing the change.
What she meant by “repotting”
Kotb described the transition as “repotting”—being pulled up by the roots, not knowing exactly where she would land, and trusting that the next ground would be fertile. The image captured both uncertainty and optimism. It was not an announcement that she had a specific new job lined up.
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From the realization to her final day on Today
| Milestone | What happened |
|---|---|
| August 2024 | Kotb turned 60; she later said the staff birthday celebration was when the decision became clear to her. |
| September 26, 2024 | She announced on Today that she planned to leave in early 2025, citing her family and the next stage of life. |
| October 7, 2024 | She recounted the birthday realization on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. |
| January 10, 2025 | Her final day co-hosting Today, marked by an extended on-air farewell. |
The January 10 date was reported in farewell coverage by the Los Angeles Times. Kotb had said she hoped to remain part of NBC, but the available coverage does not establish the exact scope or current terms of any ongoing role.
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